Ministerial and governmental delegations attend Asia Summit 2026 to discuss AI initiatives

Building on its recent recognition with the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, the event reflected Irwin Mitchell’s ongoing commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation and fostering international partnerships. 

The event was convened by the UK Asia Grant Foundation, a charity fostering academic cooperation between the UK and East Asia, and supported by Irwin Mitchell’s Asia Pacific Desk. The Summit brought together government ministers, digital economy leaders, and innovation ecosystem representatives from across the Asia Pacific region around the theme of “AI and Economic Growth.”

Who was in the room?

The Summit drew ministerial-level delegates including the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of Science and Technology for the Philippines, the Director General of Digital Ecosystem for Indonesia, and the Counsellor for Investment at the Malaysia High Commission. 

Russ Shaw, co-founder of London Tech Week, opened proceedings, and Hugh de Lusignan of the Department for Business and Trade welcomed attendees on behalf of the UK.

Further representation came from Hong Kong (HKTDC), South Korea (Gwangju Metropolitan City), Vietnam (VINASA), China (Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao), and the Embassies of Cambodia and Laos.

What countries are building

Speakers shared concrete progress on national AI and semiconductor strategies.

Malaysia has attracted $72 billion in foreign direct investment for semiconductors in just three years, making it the world's second-largest destination for semiconductor investment. Its Semicon Start programme – modelled on Silicon Catalyst's UK framework – targets 100 new semiconductor companies by 2030.

South Korea's Gwangju Metropolitan City is rapidly establishing itself as an AI hub. In 2025, 25 Gwangju companies received CES Innovation Awards, with one achieving the CES Best Award. This places it among only three SME ecosystems globally to reach that distinction.

The headline moment of the Summit was the signing of an MOU between TusPark Holdings UK, the UK branch of China’s largest technology ecosystem and science park developer, and KUMPUL, Indonesia's leading startup ecosystem representing over 57,000 companies. Witnessed by Indonesia's Director General of Digital Ecosystem, the agreement will connect Indonesian startups with UK and European markets, with a first working cohort now being assembled.

What lessons have been learned so far?

Globally, governments and businesses remain in the early stages of realising AI's potential and managing its risks.

BBC Monitoring shared a real-world case study: an AI hallucination occurred during live coverage of Syrian state television in 2024, despite sound governance being in place. The takeaway was clear: hallucinations are manageable if organisations define guardrails before deployment, not after.

Delegates from Indonesia and the Philippines highlighted a structural concern: AI models trained predominantly on English datasets risk deepening inequality across multilingual societies. Indonesia alone has over 760 local languages. In response, the Philippines is already encoding endangered local languages into AI training datasets, demonstrating AI's potential as a tool for cultural preservation.

What should your business do now?

The Summit found that the UK’s role in AI adoption is as a trusted partner, ready to help organisations navigate legal and regulatory complexity. In particular, the UK’s strengths in capital markets, research, and professional services were seen as critical enablers of responsible AI growth.

Companies operating across the UK–Asia corridor should:

• Speak to Irwin Mitchell’s Asia Pacific desk for advice on corporate, real estate, immigration, tax structuring, or dispute resolution. For further information, contact Sarah Lau, Head of Asia Pacific and Greater China Desk.
• Contact MIDA London if you are a UK business considering investment in Malaysia or looking to explore opportunities in the semiconductor and AI sectors.
• Reach out to HKTDC for free access to Hong Kong’s startup support, investor matching, and AI Subsidy Scheme. This is particularly relevant for UK startups planning Asia Pacific expansion.
• Engage directly with government-backed innovation ecosystems in Indonesia and the Philippines. Companies can use KUMPUL for Indonesia's startup ecosystem, and DOST in the Philippines for research.
• Join Global Tech Advocates. Connect with Russ Shaw on LinkedIn or via Colin Tan to access 46 global chapters including active groups in Indonesia, Korea, and Taiwan.

For professional services firms, the opportunity and responsibility are equally significant. As AI adoption accelerates, the need for legal, regulatory, and cross-border advisory support will only intensify.