UK unveils plans to boost ties with the Asia-Pacific post-Brexit

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt gave a speech in Singapore on Wednesday outlining how Brexit Britain will "strengthen its links" with Asia-Pacific. His visit underlines the emphasis London is putting on consolidating ties with key non-European nations, especially in Asia-Pacific, with the United Kingdom's departure from the EU scheduled in March.

Mr Hunt's vision is shared by Prime Minister Theresa May, who will make her first post-Brexit trade mission to Asia this spring. Both believe the UK needs to tap into the prosperity of the region and build ties with some of "the most dynamic economies of the world".

Mr Hunt was keen to stress on Wednesday that Britain will remain a "global power", post-Brexit, as the fifth largest economy in the world, with the second biggest NATO military budget, and one of the globe's two biggest financial centres. Both he and Mrs May have asserted that they want to rediscover the UK's heritage "as a great global trading nation". This is not just with Asia-Pacific nations such as Singapore, China, India and Australia, but also the Gulf Cooperation Council states in the Middle East, Canada and the United States.