The Foreign Secretary said the UK was "absolutely are open" to joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and expanding discussions with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEA). He revealed how Britain had opened a "new mission" in Indonesia's capital Jakarta to open trade discussions. He said: "We’ve said that we are very interested in being part of the CPTPP, which I think would be a very big opportunity. "We are interested in having any trade discussions with ASEAN. we’re opening a new mission in Jakarta precisely to enable those discussions happen on a more coordinated basis. "I think the point at the heart of this, if you look at the massive decline in poverty in Asia and across the world over the period of our lifetimes that has happened because of trade and trade has only been possible because we have had a broadly peaceful world order. “And so when we talk about trade deals we don’t just talk about removing tariffs and non tariffs barriers for goods and services, we also need to think about the structure behind those trade deals that has allowed that trade to flourish in a way that our parents and grandparents could only have dreamed of. “That’s why side by side to expanding trade we need to be thinking about securing international order, so that it can deliver the peace that is fundamental to that trade as well. The Foreign Secretary is in Singapore just days after hailing the Asian economy as a possible example for Britain to follow after the UK leaves the EU on March 29.All rights reserved for this news site express.co.uk and under his responsibility