Category: Press Releases

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

The UK’s Ambassador to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, delivered this statement at the 15th WTO Trade Policy Review of Japan on 1 March 2023.

Madam Chair, thank you for leading this important scrutiny of one of the WTO’s biggest economies. In this new era of UK-EU cooperation let me also thank João for setting up our discussion today with such wisdom and linguistic skill. And let me also warmly welcome Japan’s delegation to their Trade Policy Review today, led by Deputy Assistant Minister Okochi.

Madam Chair, our nations enjoy deep historical ties going back centuries and Japan is now one of Britain’s closest partners in Asia. Indulge me a moment, as a lapsed historian, to take stock of the progress we have made together since English seafarers established first trading stations at Hirado Island in the 17th Century.

Today, Japan is a key partner with whom we share a vibrant bilateral trading relationship. Decades of partnership in automotive and electronics manufacturing, IT, energy, life sciences and financial services have provided the foundations for a dramatic expansion of industrial ties. From 2012 to 2020, Japanese Foreign Direct Investment in the UK almost tripled. In 2021, Nissan chose the great city of Sunderland as its flagship global EV Hub, investing £1bn in EV manufacturing and a gigafactory. Japanese firms contribute to the UK’s leading position in offshore wind. A Marubeni consortium is developing one of the world’s largest floating offshore wind farms in Scotland. From large tech to pharma to megabanks, there are now around a thousand Japanese companies operating in the UK.

Our association is deep and wide-ranging, underpinned by our bilateral FTA, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which came into force last year, further updating our collaborative and reciprocal relationship for the 2020s and beyond. The UK and Japan have also shown ambition in areas dear to the heart of the DG and vital to supporting trade like digital, on which we launched our Digital Partnership, in December 2022.

When our two Prime Ministers met at the Tower of London on 11 January, Prime Minister Sunak spoke of “an unbreakable bond that reaches halfway around the world”. And that’s why, recognising that our security is shared and indivisible, they signed a landmark deal on military cooperation – the Reciprocal Access Agreement.

And we hope that our membership of CPTPP will further elevate the ties between the UK and its Pacific partners, including Japan, to a new level. We are grateful to Japan for their support to the UK in that process and hope that this will not only promote trade and investment between our two great nations, but also demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

Madam Chair, we commend Prime Minister Kishida’s agenda of driving the transformation of Japan’s economy by digitisation and investments in green technology and human capital. And we encourage Japan to match its high ambition with corresponding actions. As identified in our Advance Written Questions, there are several strategic areas where we would like to collaborate even more closely with Japan. Some of these are global issues, like decarbonisation and digitalisation, where all countries need to do more. But to realise ambitions in this area, we must focus on ensuring that businesses can make the most of these opportunities, by tackling the practical challenges that they still face: streamlining bureaucratic processes is a key example of this. Across the piece, we hope the UK can provide valuable expertise and support, and we look forward to continuing to work with Japan on realising these mutual opportunities.

Chair, we are glad to see that maintaining and strengthening the multilateral trading system is a key pillar of Japan’s trade policy. And I pay tribute to the wise guidance that Ambassador Yamazaki provides to his team in this House. Plurilateralism has brought much-needed energy and dynamism to this organisation. We are grateful for Japan’s cooperation in plurilateral initiatives, in particular as one of the co-convenors for the E-Commerce JI, which will deliver modern global rules on digital trade that are fit for purpose in the 2020s and support the digital economy. This is a top priority for the UK and we look forward to working with Japan to conclude substantive negotiations in 2023. We also appreciate Japan’s efforts to launch certification requests for the Services Domestic Regulation JI last December 2022.

We wholeheartedly agree with Minister Nishimura’s assessment in his speech to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies that we must never allow ourselves to fall into protectionism and using industrial subsidies to compete against one another. Our countries support a robust and effective multilateral trading system, crucial to the future functioning of the international order, and we must ensure our industrial policies do not disrupt these important trade links. The UK will support Japan in holding high the banner of free trade.

We therefore welcome Japan’s focus under their G7 presidency on global economic recovery, strengthening economic security, and improving cooperation with the Global South. In the past year we have stood side by side with Japan and all G7 partners in supporting Ukraine against President Putin’s unprovoked aggression, and we will continue to stand together for Ukraine’s freedom, for international law, and our rules based multilateral trading system.

We are pleased that the G7 Trade Track is now in its 3rd year, an initiative pioneered under our own 2021 Presidency. We will support Japan to achieve practical outcomes particularly in the development of a comprehensive package on economic security that will help create a more resilient global trading system in the interests of all WTO Members.

Chair, to conclude, as the annual cherry blossom viewing season approaches, we wish Japan a similarly serene review and a florescence of success in their strategic trade programme, with the UK as a close partner.

And, in the spirit of a belated Trade Valentines, permit me to close with a short verse of optimism in the best of Japanese tradition:

Trade friendship blossoms,

Rooted in our shared values,

Garden of Progress.

Thank you, Chair.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

During the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UK delivered a statement on the Right to Development.

Thank you Madam Vice President,

Human rights are indivisible, interdependent and, universal. And they are essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. The realisation of human rights underpins sustainable development – they go hand in hand, they are mutually reinforcing – and they are building blocks to achieving inclusive and prosperous societies.

For the United Kingdom, it is clear that the right to development is an obligation of States to ensure individuals are able to enjoy their human rights and have equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. These obligations are already enshrined and clearly set out in the existing human rights treaties. Implementing these existing obligations is the only way to realise the right to development.

Last year, we published our new development strategy that aims to unleash the power of people and countries to take control of their own future. Human rights is at the heart of this – empowering people to stand up for freedom and supporting them to plan for their own sustainable future.

This is a vital year for action, as the world faces multiple crises exacerbated by conflict and climate change. The UK will continue to partner with countries to achieve the collective vision agreed in Agenda 2030. But if we are to succeed, we not only need to step up efforts but must put human rights at the front and centre of them.

Thank you.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

UK military advisor Ian Stubbs says that thousands of Russians continue to pay the price for the tactics of a desperate Russian military leadership.

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 March 2023.

The Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of the Republic of Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a bilateral Green Economy Framework.

The Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of the Republic of Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a bilateral Green Economy Framework. This agreement, a first-of-its-kind for the UK, was signed during a virtual call between the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Secretary of State, The Rt Grant Shapps MP, and Singapore’s Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations from the Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Mr S Iswaran, on 1 March 2023.

Building on the successful UK-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and Digital Economy Agreement, the innovative UK-Singapore Green Economy Framework combines elements of climate, economic and trade policy. This will enable both countries to achieve national decarbonisation targets in alignment with the Paris Agreement while enhancing energy security and promoting green growth through new investment, job creation and export opportunities. This collaboration will take place across three key pillars: green transport, low carbon energy technologies, and sustainable finance and carbon markets.

Expanding on the UK’s legacy of our successful COP26 Presidency, and Singapore’s COP-honed expertise facilitating the negotiations on international rules for carbon trading, the ambition of this government-to-government agreement is to facilitate more collaboration between UK and Singapore industry and academic partners. This will result in new commercial pilot projects, trade and investments, and research and innovation. The Framework will be implemented through different mechanisms, including government policy dialogues, business matchmaking, industry workshops, and research partnerships.

Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero Grant Shapps said:

The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the vital importance of shoring up our energy security, and moves towards ever-greater energy independence.

Today’s agreement with Singapore – the first of its kind in the UK – will make the most of the expertise and innovation of both our countries.  It will help us move towards greener, home-grown alternatives to fossil fuels like renewables, creating high tech jobs and businesses of the future and, ultimately, bringing down costs for consumers.

British High Commissioner to Singapore Kara Owen said:

Today marks a very significant milestone for the UK-Singapore partnership as we sign an innovative and real-world focused UK-Singapore Green Economy Framework. The framework will help both the UK and Singapore work towards their ambitious net zero targets and contribute to the development of a vibrant green economy private sector ecosystem that can have an impact beyond our two shores.

In action, this Framework will leverage the UK and Singapore’s strengths in areas like low carbon technology, shipping and finance to deliver long-term sustainable policy, regulation and technical solutions and projects between our private sector and academic communities.

Singapore is an important partner to the UK in working towards a sustainable and net zero future. With significant and ever-growing investments in UK’s renewable energy sector, the UK-Singapore Green Economy Framework will further strengthen our existing, long-term collaboration by creating new growth opportunities for both countries.