♦ Britain became the first European nation to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on 15 December 2024. It officially became the 12th member of a trans-Pacific trade pact which includes Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
♦ The accession means Britain will be able to apply CPTPP trade rules and lower tariffs with eight of the 11 existing members from December 15 - Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. 
♦ CPTPP was established in 2018, the bloc safeguards against Chinese hegemony in the region, providing British companies access to a market of over 500 million people, contributing over 15% of the world’s GDP.