UK joins CPTPP – what’s in it for tech
By the UK Government’s own estimates, this deal will add 0.08% to UK GDP over 10 years. This is because the UK already has bilateral FTAs with every member except Brunei and Malaysia.
One of the benefits of the CPTPP is in relation to services trade, which made up 43% of UK trade with CPTPP members in 2022. UK companies will not need to establish a regional or local office in order to supply a service to CPTPP countries.
In terms of digital trade, the CPTPP includes provisions on data flows and a ban on data localisation. Companies will not be required to disclose source code as a condition for market access. Regulatory cooperation on AI, cybersecurity and other digital policy issues form a big part of the implementation for members of the CPTPP, which will be welcome cooperation for reducing access barriers for SMEs.
However, the value of the UK joining the CPTPP is more strategic than material. It places the UK in the club of middle power nations with a tradition of pushing the boundaries of what is possible in digital trade policy. Australia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand – and also the UK – have some of the world’s most advanced provisions on digital trade in their bilateral and regional trade agreements. Those include modern regulatory cooperation commitments on things like artificial intelligence, cyber security, data, competition, online safety and digital identity. By joining the bloc, the UK can promote its governance vision for digital trade policy in the future.
The UK is the first country to join since CPTPP was agreed between its members in 2018. There are others who either filed formal applications to join or expressed interest in joining, such as China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines. By being a member of the bloc, the UK will not have a formal role and veto power on any new members of the CPTPP.
A lengthy ratification process will now follow. techUK will keep monitoring developments and if members have any questions they should reach out to the trade team.
Daniel Clarke
Daniel Clarke
Dan joined techUK as a Policy Manager for International Policy and Trade in March 2023.
Before techUK, Dan worked for data and consulting company GlobalData as an analyst of tech and geopolitics. He has also worked in public affairs, political polling, and has written freelance for the New Statesman and Investment Monitor.
Dan has a degree in MSc International Public Policy from University College London, and a BA Geography degree from the University of Sussex.
Outside of work, Dan is a big fan of football, cooking, going to see live music, and reading about international affairs.
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Sabina Ciofu
Sabina Ciofu
Sabina Ciofu is Associate Director – International, running the International Policy and Trade Programme at techUK.
Based in Brussels, she leads our EU policy and engagement. She is also our lead on international trade policy, with a focus on digital trade chapter in FTAs, regulatory cooperation as well as broader engagement with the G7, G20, WTO and OECD.
As a transatlanticist at heart, Sabina is a GMF Marshall Memorial fellow and issue-lead on the EU-US Trade and Technology Council, within DigitalEurope.
Previously, she worked as Policy Advisor to a Member of the European Parliament for almost a decade, where she specialised in tech regulation, international trade and EU-US relations.
Sabina loves building communities and bringing people together. She is the founder of the Gentlewomen’s Club and co-organiser of the Young Professionals in Digital Policy. Previously, as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, she led several youth civic engagement and gender equality projects.
She sits on the Advisory Board of the University College London European Institute, Café Transatlantique, a network of women in transatlantic technology policy and The Nine, Brussels’ first members-only club designed for women.
Sabina holds an MA in War Studies from King’s College London and a BA in Classics from the University of Cambridge.
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