She made the remark during an interview with Japan’s Nikkei Asia Review newspaper on June 9, adding that the UK wants to join the trade deal “as soon as possible”.

The CPTPP membership is a strategic target of the UK when working with partners in Pacific, the UK Secretary said.

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UK Secretary of State for International Trade Elizabeth Truss

Members of the CPTPP account for 13 percent of the global economies and a large part of Asia-Pacific.

The UK also wants to become dialogue partner of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), she said, adding that the move will supplement for the CPTPP membership.

The CPTPP is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Source: VNA