Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Douglas Alexander Excerpts

Monday 19th May 2025 Written Statements

[The Minister for Trade Policy and Economic Security (Mr Douglas Alexander)]

On 16 May 2025, CPTPP parties met in Jeju, Republic of Korea, in the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Ministers Responsible for Trade conference. Those present comprised Ministers and representatives of Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

The meeting provided a strategic mid-year point to assess CPTPP’s objectives for 2025 and agree ambitions for the coming year. Following the meeting, CPTPP parties issued a joint ministerial statement that covers the following important areas:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cptpp-joint-ministerial-statement-in-jeju-16-may-2025

Trade and Investment Dialogues with the EU and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)

In the light of increasing challenges across the global economic landscape, CPTPP Parties welcomed the opportunity to advance the trade and investment initiatives identified in the Vancouver statement—Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) joint ministerial statement, 28 November 2024 - GOV.UK—published in November 2024, through agreement to pursue dialogues with the EU and ASEAN. These dialogues would aim to promote shared trade and investment interests and reinforce CPTPP’s role in the global economic architecture, and CPTPP parties committed to pursuing them as soon as possible in 2025.

The general review

Parties noted progress with the CPTPP general review and highlighted the importance of officials providing recommendations before the end of the year on ways to update and enhance the agreement. Areas of strong UK interest, such as e-commerce and financial services, remain at the forefront of the review.

Future accessions to CPTPP

Parties discussed the importance of CPTPP’s continued expansion and welcomed the progress made on Costa Rica’s accession process.

Next steps

We welcome the conclusions reached in the Jeju joint ministerial statement and will continue working closely with CPTPP parties to drive significant economic and strategic gains from our CPTPP membership, whether that be as we widen the agreement through accessions, deepen it through the general review, or build bridges with key partners across the world through establishing new dialogues.

CPTPP Ministers will convene again towards the end of this year for the CPTPP Commission meeting under Australia’s chairship, and I look forward to keeping the House updated with further developments.

[HCWS646]