Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss (left), chairs a CPTPP event in London last year. Picture by Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street
According to a 2 June article by Nikkei Asia, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s minister in charge of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, revealed that the members of the TPP have agreed to start negotiations for the UK’s entry into the partnership during a virtual meeting of the TPP Commission. The final decision is set to be made next year or later. The UK had filed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) earlier this year following its withdrawal from the European Union.
At the start of the process, a joint statement said it “provides an opportunity to advance the CPTPP’s high-standard rules for the 21st century and further promote free trade, open and competitive markets and economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond”.