CPTPP Members Begin Negotiations on UK and China Accession

Auckland Meeting Addresses Two Applications

Trade ministers from the 11 existing members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership convened in Auckland on December 26 to discuss final ratification steps for the United Kingdom's accession and preliminary terms for China's application, filed in September 2021. New Zealand chairs the CPTPP commission for 2025.

The UK's accession protocol, signed in July 2023, requires ratification by six existing members to take effect. Five have completed the process — Japan, Singapore, Chile, New Zealand, and Vietnam — with Australia expected to finish parliamentary ratification by February 2026.

UK Set to Become 12th Member

British Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds called the imminent accession "a cornerstone of the UK's post-Brexit trade strategy." The CPTPP gives the UK preferential access to markets accounting for approximately 15% of global GDP, including Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and the fast-growing ASEAN economies of Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei.

The UK's Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that CPTPP membership will increase British GDP by 0.04% over the long term, a modest figure that critics have called "negligible." However, supporters argue the strategic value of deepening trade ties with the Indo-Pacific outweighs the immediate economic impact.

China's Application Faces Hurdles

China's bid to join the CPTPP is far more contentious. Several members, including Australia, Canada, and Japan, have raised concerns about China's compliance with the agreement's provisions on state-owned enterprises, labor rights, data governance, and government procurement transparency.

"The CPTPP's rules on SOE commercial behavior and digital trade would require significant reforms to China's domestic regulatory framework," said Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former U.S. trade negotiator. "It's unclear whether Beijing is willing or able to make those changes."

Geopolitical Dimensions

The question of Chinese accession is inseparable from broader geopolitical dynamics. The United States, which withdrew from the original Trans-Pacific Partnership under President Trump in 2017, has not applied to rejoin. China's membership would fundamentally alter the character of the bloc, which was originally designed in part as a counterweight to Chinese economic influence in the region.

Taiwan also filed an application to join the CPTPP in September 2021, days after China's submission. Beijing has stated that Taiwan's accession would be "unacceptable" and that the island is part of China. No CPTPP member has formally sponsored Taiwan's application for a working party.

Working Party Formation

The Auckland meeting agreed to establish a working party to examine China's application, the first procedural step toward potential negotiations. However, formation of the working party carries no commitment to eventual admission and could take years to produce recommendations.

Japan, which holds the rotating commission chair for 2026, will oversee the initial round of consultations. Trade Minister Yoji Muto said Japan would "apply the same rigorous standards to all applicants" and that the process would be "thorough, transparent, and merit-based."

Other economies that have expressed interest in CPTPP membership include South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and Costa Rica. South Korea formally applied in December 2024 and is expected to face fewer obstacles than China given its market-economy status and existing free trade agreements with most CPTPP members.