ZCZC
BCN-11
SINGAPORE-BRITAIN-ASIA-TRADE
Britain can punch above its weight even after Brexit: Hunt
SINGAPORE, Jan 3, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Britain can still punch above its
weight globally even after it exits the European Union (EU), Foreign
Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Wednesday ahead of a crucial parliamentary vote at
home.
Although Britain is neither a superpower nor in possession of an empire,
the country still has the military might, economic muscle and diplomatic
connections to play a major role in world affairs, Hunt said in Singapore.
Britons in a 2016 referendum voted to leave the EU, a political and
economic partnership that currently has 28 members, triggering months of
tortuous negotiations that have left the country bitterly divided.
Parliament is due to debate Britain’s withdrawal from the EU — called
Brexit — next week ahead of a key vote the following week, as the country
prepares to leave the bloc on March 29.
Amid doubts over whether the deal will have enough backing, Prime Minister
Theresa May used her New Year’s message to rally support.
In a speech outlining Britain’s global role after Brexit, Hunt said his
country would remain an influential global player independent of the EU, even
as he warned that failure to reach a deal would “cause disruption that could
last some time”.
While Britain should not overestimate its strength, it should not
underestimate it either, he said at a diplomatic forum organised by the
London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
“We are not a superpower and we do not have an empire,” he said.
“But we do have the fifth biggest economy in the world, the second biggest
military budget in NATO, the third biggest overseas aid budget, one of the
two largest financial centres, highly effective intelligence services and a
world class diplomatic network, including permanent membership of the UN
Security Council.”
Hunt said post-Brexit Britain could learn from Singapore’s economic model,
especially the tiny city-state’s long-term investment in education,
infrastructure and the push to forge trade ties spanning the world.
MORE/HR/0938
ZCZC
BCN-12
SINGAPORE-BRITAIN-ASIA-TRADE 2 LAST SINGAPORE
He added that Britain was open to talks on a free trade agreement with the
10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and would establish a
mission at the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta later this year “to enable those
discussions to happen on a more coordinated basis”.
He said Britain was also keen to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an
11-nation free trade pact that US President Donald Trump pulled out of, but
which includes such countries as Australia, Japan, Canada and Mexico.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Britain would be welcome to
join the accord with “open arms” after leaving the EU.
“We absolutely are open to both of those… which I think would be a very
big opportunity,” said Hunt, who will visit Malaysia after leaving Singapore.
Tim Huxley, executive director for Asia at IISS, said the immediate
challenge facing post-Brexit Britain concerned its ability to create a
network of trade and economic links with other nations “as rapidly as
possible”.
“If any country can exit the EU and not only survive but also prosper and
prosper in security, I think the UK can,” Huxley told AFP.
BSS/FP/HR/0940