UK Begins Talks With CPTPP About Accession

The United Kingdom officially began talks with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership about joining the trade area, the U.K. said Sept. 9. The U.K.’s Department for International Trade said the country has held “preparatory conversations” with CPTPP members, but the current talks mark the first negotiations on accession.

U.K. Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the U.K.’s accession would “send a powerful signal” that the country will work with countries “who champion free and fair trade.” She also said membership would open new trade opportunities for U.K. businesses and “put us in a stronger position to reshape global trading rules alongside countries who share our values.”