Question Period Note: COMPREHENSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE AGREEMENT FOR TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (CPTPP)

Update on U.K. accession to the CPTPP and Japan-U.K. FTA negotiations

• While there have not been any formal applications from any country to join the CPTPP, we welcome the UK's interest
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• We look forward to expanding the CPTPP to include new members that are able to meet the ambitious and high standard commitments of the Agreement

• Canada will continue to watch Japan-U.K. FTA negotiations with interest to assess how it might impact Canadian interests.

U.K. accession to the CPTPP

The CPTPP is an ambitious and high-standard free trade agreement covering virtually all aspects of trade and investment. Canada's membership in the CPTPP signals our commitment to an effective, open, inclusive and rules-based global trading system.
The CPTPP entered into force for the first six countries to ratify the Agreement - Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore - on December 30, 2018, and for Vietnam on January 14, 2019. For the remaining signatories (Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, and Peru), the CPTPP will enter into force 60 days after that country ratifies the Agreement. The CPTPP is designed to expand to include new economies. As of June 9, 2020, Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Korea and Taiwan have all expressed informal interest in accession, but none have formally applied.

Japan-U.K. FTA negotiations

The U.K. is pursuing an ambitious agenda of trade negotiations, including launching new FTA negotiations with partners, such as the U.S., and seeking to roll over existing EU FTAs before the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31, 2020. Negotiations with Japan fall into the latter category. On May 19, 2020, the U.K. published its negotiating objectives for a U.K.-Japan FTA. Negotiations with Japan began on June 9, 2020, and are expected to continue over the following week. Areas of stated interest for both sides include digital trade, services and autos. The U.K. is expected to seek to build upon the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (in force since February 2019) as part of a stated interest by the U.K. in seeking to join the CPTPP.

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