Intelligent CXO Issue 29 | Page 18

INFOGRAPHIC

How will the UK ' s latest trade deal with the CPTPP nations help boost UK businesses ?

The UK signed a treaty at the start of the summer to accede to CPTPP trade group in New Zealand , kickstarting the UK ’ s membership of a modern and ambitious trade deal spanning 12 economies across Asia , the Pacific and now Europe .

FOR BUSINESSES , FROM SMALL FIRMS TO LARGE- SCALE ORGANISATIONS SELLING PHYSICAL GOODS OR SERVICES , THE AGREEMENT REPRESENTS A NEW GATEWAY TO 500 MILLION CUSTOMERS WHICH THEY CAN SELL TO WITH FAR FEWER BARRIERS .
Business and Trade Secretary , Kemi Badenoch , went to Auckland to put pen to paper on the deal , alongside New Zealand Trade Minister , Damien O ’ Connor , Canadian Trade Minister , Mary Ng , Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalisation , Goto Shigeyuki , and Australian Deputy Trade Minister , Tim Ayres .
The signing comes as a new government report reveals one in every 100 UK workers was employed by a business headquartered in a CPTPP member nation in 2019 , equating to over 400,000 jobs across the country .
Membership of the trade group is expected to spark further investment in the UK by CPTPP countries , already worth £ 182 billion in 2021 , by guaranteeing protections for investors .
Marco Forgione , Director General of the Institute of Export and International Trade , said : “ This is an incredibly exciting moment , not just for British businesses but for the wider British public too . Joining the CPTPP means that the UK has free trade access to rapidly expanding new markets and economies . But what does this all ultimately mean for UK business and consumers ?
“ For businesses , from small firms to large-scale organisations selling physical goods or services , the agreement represents a new gateway to 500 million customers which they can sell to with far fewer barriers . From whisky to confectionary to cars to jewellery and clothing , the removal of tariffs will make our finest British products more readily available to consumers in the Indo-Pacific bloc . These countries account for 13 % of global GDP and will be home to half of the world ’ s middle class population in the coming years .
“ This agreement has the additional benefit of strengthening the value chains and supply chains
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