RESPONSIBILITY for developing and enhancing our trade with other nations is a key part of my role as Trade Policy Minister in the new UK Government.

In that capacity, last week, I undertook my first international visits, including the first joint ministerial trip with my colleague Jonathan Reynolds, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, since the General Election.

The first part of the trip included meeting with members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), which is made up of six countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UK’s trade relationship with the GCC is already worth £57 billion.

The second part of the mission was to Southeast Asia for meetings with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Thailand and Laos. Thailand is the second-biggest economy in Southeast Asia and the UK’s trade with it is already worth £5.9 billion a year.

ASEAN collectively is equivalent to the fifth-largest economy in the world and is home to 680 million people.

For the four countries that I visited in four days, I took gifts for my counterparts, taking Scottish gifts all the way from the Gulf to Asia!

These included shortbread and coffee table books highlighting our magnificent Scottish landscapes.

Here are some further details:

Monday – Saudi Arabia

Myself and Jonathan Reynolds were warmly welcomed by the UK Ambassador in Riyadh, before our first meeting of the day with Saudi Commerce Minister Al Qasabi and his team.

We discussed the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and our intention to continue the GREAT Futures programme, which showcases UK expertise in Saudi Arabia.

Both sides are looking towards a GCC Commerce Ministers meeting next month, where we hope to make progress on the FTA. An ambitious deal could give the Scottish economy a real boost, allowing Scottish companies to take advantage of this booming market and giving consumers access to more high-quality goods and services. Scottish goods exports to the GCC were worth around £1.4 billion in 2023.

Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2030 Saudi Expo and 2034 World Cup, which we are committed to supporting through a UK-Saudi taskforce drawing on UK experience of hosting large events like the Olympics.

We had the opportunity to visit the King Abdullah Financial District (referred to as the Canary Wharf of Riyadh) and meet some businesses at a reception in the afternoon. We also met with the Saudi Industry Minister Al-Khorayef, where we discussed the modern challenges around supply chain security and critical minerals required for the green transition, of which Scotland is a global leader, and the Investment Minister Al-Falih, who noted the UK’s position as the second-largest investor in KSA and the significant Saudi investment into the UK.

We also witnessed Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, where Scotland’s own Strathclyde University now has a campus when they became the first UK higher education institution to establish a presence in the Kingdom.

We ended the day meeting the Secretary General of the GCC Al-Budaiwi at a dinner hosted by Al-Qassabi at his house.

Tuesday – Oman

After two hours’ sleep on the plane from Riyadh, the day began with more productive meetings about the UK-GCC FTA in Muscat with the Omani Commerce Minister Al Yousef.

I also had the pleasure of meeting the Economy Minister Al Saqri and co-Chair of the UK/Oman Strategic Advisory Group Al Jashmi.

During these meetings, I championed Scotland’s pioneering sectors such as green energy, which is of huge importance to Oman’s Vision 2040 plans. This also featured heavily in the conversations I had with the UK businesses who are already seeing success in the region and Omani CEOs and investors.

At the business reception in the UK Embassy that evening, I was pleased to see Scottish salmon and Walkers’ shortbread served to the Oman CEOs and investors.

It was my first time in Muscat, so I squeezed in a quick trip to the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque and Royal Opera House, as they were designed and built respectively by UK firms.

Wednesday – Thailand

I landed in Bangkok to sign an enhanced trade partnership with Thailand, alongside Thai Commerce Minister Naripthaphan, a pact that will focus on key sectors such as food and drink, education and financial services.

The UK and Thailand already have strong ties – PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) has just acquired a 25.5 per cent stake in the Seagreen Wind Farm project, an offshore wind power plant off Angus.

Southeast Asia is already a huge market for the UK, and even more so now we have the Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) coming into force at the end of the year.

More than 800 businesses in Scotland exported to CPTPP countries in 2021, with Scottish exports such as whisky benefitting from the removal of tariffs as a result of the agreement.

Ahead of the signing, I also had the opportunity to speak to British businesses in Thailand.

Thursday – Laos

My final stop was the 56th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, where I had the chance to speak to a whole host of partners from across the region.

Discussions focused on the UK’s plans for trade and how we are driving growth throughout the economy.