BANGKOK—The UK launched negotiations Tuesday to join a trans-Pacific trade bloc as it looks to explore new opportunities following its departure from the European Union and strengthen its strategic interests in Asia.
The start of talks to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), made up of 11 counties with a combined half billion people, came as Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab met with his counterpart and other Vietnamese officials during his fifth visit to Southeast Asia in his current job.
