UK to Join CPTPP in December

The U.K. will officially join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on Dec. 15 after securing the final ratification required to trigger the country’s accession to the trade deal (see 2312290034), the Department for Business and Trade said last week. The deal, which currently includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, is expected to remove tariffs from more than 99% of U.K. exports to CPTPP members, the country said. The U.K. needed ratification from six countries to join the deal.