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It’s time for the UK to act on Southeast Asia tech cooperation

Southeast Asia tech
Image credit: Avigator Fortuner / Shutterstock

Few industries transcend territorial boundaries quite like tech – a belief reaffirmed by my travels in Southeast Asia this month.

With UK-Southeast Asia Tech Week organised by the Department of Business and Trade taking place, I joined tech leaders from across the region for an event designed to strengthen UK relations with some of the world’s most promising tech ecosystems.

My visit involved a whistle-stop tour of two of the region’s key growth hubs in Thailand and Malaysia’s capital cities – Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

With the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) growth projected to perform on par with its neighbour China in 2024, the impetus for engagement with the bloc is indisputably clear.

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