So far, the UK has agreed on conditions for exceeding 20 of these existing agreements, covering 50 countries or territories and most often with smaller trading partners. In June, the UK government announced its intention to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade agreement involving 11 Asia-Pacific countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan, Vietnam and New Zealand. At present, the UK is unable to conclude its own trade agreements during the 11-month transitional period following its withdrawal from the EU in January. The UK opened trade talks with New Zealand in July, but will only be able to sign an agreement next year. Britain will leave the EU`s customs union on December 31 and leave it free to strike trade deals with countries outside the bloc. It is currently negotiating a trade agreement with Brussels, while pursuing agreements around the world, including with the United States and Japan. We have now moved closer to an ambitious and far-reaching free trade agreement with one of our longest-standing friends. A free trade agreement with New Zealand can generate investment, better jobs, higher wages and more affordable prices, when we need it most. Both negotiating teams acknowledged the unprecedented circumstances in which we find ourselves and reaffirmed that greater global trade is essential to support the economic recovery from Covid. The negotiations took place virtually and were the subject of a wide range of discussions on the areas of a trade agreement. Negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and New Zealand will continue after the UK`s withdrawal from the EU without the UK. New Zealand began these negotiations in June 2018 and negotiators met in October 2019 in New Zealand for a second round. The talks underscored the two countries` commitment to removing barriers to trade and creating new opportunities for businesses, as well as the belief that a deep and dynamic agreement can send a clear signal to the world that both the UK and New Zealand are ready to fight protectionism and promote free and fair trade.
Truss` counterpart in New Zealand, David Parker, wrote last week in a comment published in the Times that, in her view, the business relationship „does not follow the rest of our relationship.“
