Vietnam to Support UK's Bid to Join Trans-Pacific Trade Bloc - UK Foreign Minister

LONDON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th September, 2020) UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab said on Wednesday that Vietnam will support UK's bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade alliance formed by 11 countries that have coastlines on the Pacific Ocean.

"We have secured Vietnam's public support for the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership," Raab said on Twitter after meeting in Hanoi with his Vietnamese counterpart and deputy prime minister, Pham Binh Minh.

According to the UK foreign minister, Vietnam's support will take bilateral economic relations to the next level, and demonstrate the UK's commitment and value to the region.

"In the 10 years since the UK and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership agreement, we have broadened our collaboration on science, climate and security.

Deputy Prime Minister Minh and I look forward to the next decade as we deepen ties and expand trade opportunities," Raab said in another tweet.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The UK government said in June that it sees access to the partnership as a key part of its trade negotiations program, as it will help the United Kingdom forge a "leadership position" among a network of countries committed to free trade.