Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Ivory Coast on a bilateral trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
We are continuing our programme to replicate the effects of existing EU trade agreements with trading partners to ensure continuity for UK businesses following the transition period. This includes the existing EU-Côte d’Ivoire Stepping Stone Economic Partnership Agreement and engagement is ongoing to replicate this agreement.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps the Government has taken to support bilateral trade with Israel.
Answered by Conor Burns
Her Majesty’s Government is deeply committed to promoting the UK’s trade and business ties with Israel, a vital element of the flourishing partnership between the two countries. In 2019, the total value of trade between the UK and Israel was £4.7 billion, an increase of 8.3% since 2018, and we want to promote even greater bilateral trade.
The UK and Israel signed the Trade Continuity and Partnership Agreement in February 2019, which keeps trade open following the UK’s exit from the EU. During a call between the Prime Minister and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on 6 February 2020, the two leaders agreed to continue to strengthen our bilateral relationship following the UK’s departure from the EU, including in areas such as trade.
To that end Department for International Trade officials are working with their Israeli counterparts to explore options to host a future UK-Israel Trade and Investment conference in London to identify new opportunities for trade and collaboration, especially around the financial services and technology sectors.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her Mexican counterpart on bilateral trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
On 9 March 2020 the Government welcomed the Mexican Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Julián Ventura, to London for the ninth UK-Mexico High Level Economic Talks. I also personally met with Under-Secretary Ventura during his visit. These talks reviewed the implementation of the UK-Mexico Partnership for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, which includes our shared ambitions on trade. During the Talks, the UK and Mexico agreed a joint statement reiterating our shared commitment to seek to prevent disruption to preferential trade from the end of the Transition Period on 31 December, and to developing an ambitious future bilateral trading relationship.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her Rwandan counterpart on a bilateral trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. This will grant duty-free quota-free access to UK markets for Least Developed Countries, including Rwanda.
The UK looks forward to discussing the possibility of a trade agreement in East Africa with Rwandan partners in the near future.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of the Brazilian Government on a bilateral trade deal with that country.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK Government places great value on Brazil as an important trading partner. At the end of Q3 2019, UK-Brazil trade was up 11.2%, or £656m, from the four quarters to the end of Q3 2018. We seek to deepen our trading relationship through dialogues such as the Joint Economic and Trade Committee and the Economic and Financial Dialogue. Brazil, along with Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina, is part of the Mercosur trading bloc. The EU and Mercosur reached political agreement on a Free Trade Agreement last June. I visited Brazil in August 2019, and we look forward to further discussions with Mercosur partners the best way forward for UK-Mercosur trade relations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of negotiation objectives for trade deals with Mexico.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK is committed to seeking to ensure trade continuity with Mexico after the Transition Period ends on 31 December 2020. We continue to discuss with Mexico how to transition the EU-Mexico Global Agreement so that it functions in a bilateral context from 1 January 2021. In August 2019 my Rt Hon Friend the Foreign Secretary (Dominic Raab) visited Mexico to sign the UK-Mexico Partnership for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth. This Partnership Agreement underlines an intention on behalf of the UK and Mexico to seek an even more ambitious trading relationship in the future.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Government of Tanzania on a bilateral trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. This will grant duty-free quota-free access to UK markets for Least Developed Countries, including Tanzania.
The UK hopes to discuss the possibility of a trade agreement in East Africa with Tanzanian partners in the near future.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of negotiation objectives for trade deals with China.
Answered by Conor Burns
We are not currently negotiating a free trade agreement with China. China is an important trading partner for the UK, and we are pursuing increased bilateral trade.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential advantages that the British Overseas Territories could provide when negotiating new free trade agreements.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Overseas Territories are valued constitutional partners, and the UK Government is committed to supporting and representing their interests in future trade policy, including free trade agreements (FTAs). We are engaging with the Overseas Territories to understand how this works in practice and what the possible opportunities may be. I look forward to future discussions with the Overseas Territories regarding their interests and priorities. We are determined that the new FTA’s will work for the whole UK family.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of the negotiation objectives for trade deals with (a) Japan and (b) South Korea.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Department for International Trade continues to carry out internal processes to prepare for future negotiations with Japan. Both countries have agreed that they will work quickly to build a new economic partnership.
On 22 August 2019, the UK signed a continuity Free Trade Agreement with South Korea. Information about the terms of the agreement is outlined in the Parliamentary report, published on GOV.UK.