UK strikes agreement to join Asia-Pacific trade bloc

FT says The UK on Friday unveiled an agreement to join an 11-member Asia-Pacific trade bloc, with British prime minister Rishi Sunak claiming it proved his government was seizing “post-Brexit freedoms”.

Talks on Britain becoming a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership were finally wrapped up after two years of haggling over quotas and tariffs.

The UK will be the first country to join the CPTPP since the group was established in 2018, and Sunak said the trade deal will bring economic benefits and also boost his “Asia-Pacific” tilt to Britain’s foreign policy.

The current members of the CPTPP are Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru and Vietnam.

https://www.ft.com/content/7b503583-b1d6-4763-a519-df46bdb3d924