Taunton Deane MP and Foreign Office Minister, Jeremy Browne, has undertaken his first overseas tour since joining the Government. During a week in south east Asia, Jeremy visited Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Indonesia. Highlights of his visit included a meeting with the new President of the Philippines, Benigno Aquino III, and the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. He said;

"Strengthening Britain's relations with the world's fasting growing economies is one of the key foreign policy objectives of the coalition government.

"The established world order is shifting fast, with political and economic power increasingly in Asia.

"Britain needs to be well positioned to benefit from this change.

"My priority is to increase trade and investment into Britain, creating extra jobs and opportunities, and open up new markets for British businesses to export goods and services.

"Building strong political links in Asia is also vital for helping to tackle shared problems like security threats and climate change."