"As Asia grows in importance, global Britain will cooperate even more closely with our friends in the region," British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said in a statement.
"By becoming one of ASEAN's dialogue partners, we can strengthen our ability to cooperate across the Indo-Pacific region, as a force for good, on everything from climate change to regional stability,” he added.
ASEAN has 10 existing dialogue partners including the European Union, Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States.
Britain said it hopes partnership status with the 10-member ASEAN, which seeks to accelerate economic growth, social progress and collaboration in the region, will lead to new opportunities across trade, education, science and security.
ASEAN gathers Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam./
VNA/VNP
