On 16 July, the UK officially signed the agreement to accede to
the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership (CPTPP). The signing took place during the CPTPP
Ministerial-level Commission meeting in Auckland, New Zealand.
According to latest data, the value of goods trade between Wales
and CPTPP members was £2.7bn in the year ending March 2023, of
which imports and exports made up £1.4bn and £1.3bn respectively.
Around 6.1% of Wales’ total goods exports were destined for CPTPP
member countries during this time.
This agreement marks a shift in the UK’s trade policy towards the
Indo-Pacific region, signifying the region’s increasing
importance. However, it is important to remember that the
majority (around 57.2%, £12bn) of Wales’ goods exports continue
to be destined for the EU market. Whilst we understand why the UK
Government might have assigned such importance to this trade
deal, it is vital that we ensure it is fully compatible with the
deal we now have with the EU and must not harm the UK/EU trading
relationship or set a precedent for future trade deals with other
trading partners.
We have always been broadly supportive of the UK Government’s
free trade agenda and of the potential benefits new Free Trade
Agreements could bring to Wales. However, CPTPP is significantly
different from the bi-lateral negotiations that the UK has
undertaken to date. CPTPP is an existing plurilateral agreement,
and it has been up to the UK Government to demonstrate compliance
with the terms of CPTPP rather than negotiate new provisions. It
is also worth noting that the UK Government has already signed,
or is already negotiating, bi-lateral trade agreements with many
CPTPP members, such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and
Mexico.
We have always had, and continue to have, concerns with certain
elements of the existing agreement and the level of ambition in
some of the CPTPP chapter text. Now that the agreement has been
signed, and the UK Government has published its impact
assessment, my officials will complete a full report detailing
our perspective on the UK’s accession. This will be published in
due course.
This statement is being issued during recess in order to keep
members informed. Should members wish me to make a further
statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns
I would be happy to do so.
