THINK GLOBAL PEOPLE HOT TOPIC


CEMENTING


RELATIONS WITH THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION AT THE HEART OF UK


TRADE GROWTH 'Go West, young man' used to be the


exhortation. Fast forward a couple of centuries and the priority these days appears to be


'Look East, mature democracies', as youthful Asian economies begin to flex their muscles


once more. David Sapsted explores UK trade deal potential in the Asia-Pacific region.


A


s 2021 dawned and hopes grew that vaccines would finally banish both the coronavirus


pandemic and the resultant global downturn, Joe Biden moved into the White House looking to "build coalitions of like-minded partners and allies" with the aim, in part, of "ensuring security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region". Simultaneously, Liz Truss, the


UK's international trade minister, said that trade deals completed with Singapore and Vietnam in December marked another step towards Britain realising its post-Brexit ambition of joining the massive free-trade zone, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Meanwhile


in Brussels,


European Union officials took a significant step towards completing a deal with China later this year – after negotiations that began in 2013 – which will open up some Chinese manufacturing markets to foreign investment.


7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40