W

ith just weeks until the March 29 deadline to leave the European Union, Britain could not be faulted for trying to compensate for the less pleasing side effects of its divorce, by bolstering its alliances in other regions — including with Indonesia and the rest of Southeast Asia.

The British economy grew at its slowest pace in six years in 2018, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Monday, as fears grow that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal and businesses are left on edge with no firm arrangements in place.

Last year, gross domestic product growth stood at 1.4 percent, down from 1.8 percent in 2017, while growth was only 0.2 percent in the last three months of 2018, the ONS said in a statement quoted by AFP.

The bleak official figures came as the British government seeks to win more time to secure EU concessions on Brexit that could pass the United Kingdom parliament and avert a chaotic split from the bloc.

But just as Prime Minister Theresa May appeals to MPs to give divorce negotiations more time, members of her Cabinet are getting busy building rapport with various allies on the other side of the world.

Last year, Britain’s minister for Asia and the Pacific, Mark Field, undertook a massive, two-week, six-country and nine-city tour across Southeast Asia to promote the UK’s “All of Asia” approach and announce a plan to expand its presence there, pledging to “open three new posts in the Pacific and boost the numbers of diplomats posted in the region”.

Since then, there has been a steady flurry of visits by officials to Indonesia and the wider region.

On Monday, British Deputy Ambassador to Indonesia Rob Fenn met with Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Laode M. Syarif to discuss cooperation on corruption prevention. An agreement was made for the KPK to send a delegation to London next month to survey the work of the UK Serious Fraud Office, its British counterpart.

Last month, the British Embassy in Jakarta established closer cooperation with the Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry, with the UK side pledging research funding amounting to Rp 31 billion (US$2.2 million) through the Newton Fund.

Wirya Adiwena, an international relations researcher from The Habibie Center, argued that a lot of the cooperation that London had initiated with Indonesia was part of a larger plan to expand British influence in the economy, particularly in trade and investment.

“I cannot imagine what the UK is trying to achieve by strengthening political and social cooperation [with Indonesia but also ASEAN] without the primary focus of economic cooperation,” he told the Post via telephone on Tuesday.

Given the economic side effects of Brexit, Wirya said the UK would prioritize securing economic benefits in its alliance-building efforts.

International relations expert Dinna Wisnu of Binus University said it was a good time for Britain to rejuvenate its relationship with Indonesia, as it would allow more room for the discussion of potential partnership initiatives beyond the EU framework.

“The UK’s principle is whatever the Brexit decision will be, it is ready with the scenario of expanding international partnerships,” Dinna told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Britain already has a foothold in the region through the Commonwealth group of nations, which counts Southeast Asian nations Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore among its members.

Last month, Britain’s head of diplomatic services Simon McDonald said the UK had assigned a dedicated representative to the Southeast Asian bloc. (tjs)