Asia Task Force
Encyclopedia
The Asia Task Force is a government advisory group in the United Kingdom
with the overall aim of boosting trade and investment between the UK and high-growth and emerging markets
in Asia
. The ATF was created by Gordon Brown
(then serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer
) on 2 December 2004.
On assuming the Co-Chairmanship of the ATF in May 2010, Vince Cable said:
"If we are looking for growth, we should be looking to Asia. Asia is driving the global recovery and its growing middle classes are seeking more of what we can produce. We want UK businesses to export more goods and services to these markets. Through UK Trade & Investment, we will help British companies to play their full part."
The ATF meets around twice a year - the minutes and membership details are published on UK Trade & Investment's ATF pages.
Further information can be obtained from the Doing Business in Asia: Meet the Experts website.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
with the overall aim of boosting trade and investment between the UK and high-growth and emerging markets
Emerging markets
Emerging markets are nations with social or business activity in the process of rapid growth and industrialization. Based on data from 2006, there are around 28 emerging markets in the world . The economies of China and India are considered to be the largest...
in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The ATF was created by Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
(then serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
) on 2 December 2004.
Membership
Members of the Asia Task Force are senior business leaders and members of academia. It is co-chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.On assuming the Co-Chairmanship of the ATF in May 2010, Vince Cable said:
"If we are looking for growth, we should be looking to Asia. Asia is driving the global recovery and its growing middle classes are seeking more of what we can produce. We want UK businesses to export more goods and services to these markets. Through UK Trade & Investment, we will help British companies to play their full part."
Objectives
- To identify the current and future challenges faced by UK companies operating in Asian markets and to suggest practical ways to overcome and anticipate them;
- To raise awareness among UK companies of the potential opportunities in these markets and to provide a resource to support companies seeking to do business in Asia;
- To contribute to the UK’s response to globalisation by bringing together the business community, Government and academia to develop a coherent strategy.
Meetings
The first full meeting of the ATF was held on 27 October 2005. The Chancellor opened proceedings with a speech on the growing importance of Asia in the world economy and said he would welcome ideas and policy proposals from the ATF for the government to consider.The ATF meets around twice a year - the minutes and membership details are published on UK Trade & Investment's ATF pages.
Activities
On the advice and recommendation of the Asia Task Force, UK Trade & Investment regularly runs ‘Doing Business in Asia - Meet the Experts' events throughout the UK designed to galvanise more companies to explore opportunities in key Asian markets.Further information can be obtained from the Doing Business in Asia: Meet the Experts website.