London
Britain will apply to join a massive 11-nation free-trade bloc of Asia-Pacific countries, it announced Saturday, weeks after leaving the European single market with its departure from the EU.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will formally request Monday for Britain to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a market representing half a billion people and roughly 13.5 percent of the global economy.
The CPTPP application will come one year after Britain left the European Union following more than forty years of membership — and after five years of complex trade discussions.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the potential new partnership would “bring enormous economic benefits for the people of Britain”.—AFP
