UK Signs Treaty to Join Indo-Pacific Trade Bloc CPTPP

Undated handout photo of Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch during a visit to Auckland for the signing of membership to CPTPP, issued by the Department for Business & Trade, on July 16, 2023. Zahn Trotter/Department for Business & Trade via PA Media

The UK has formally signed the treaty to join a vast free trade area spanning the Indo-Pacific region, in a move the government says will be a “big boost for British businesses.”

Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch signed the accession protocol to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in Auckland, New Zealand, on Sunday.