Speaking at the meeting of the N.A. Standing Committee on May 15, Vice Chairwoman of the Presidential Office Phan Thi Kim Oanh said that on February 1, 2021, the U.K. officially applied to join the CPTPP. During negotiations with the U.K. on its CPTPP accession, Vietnam has achieved its target of requesting the U.K. to commit to open its market at a high level to ensure compliance with the agreement's standards.

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N.A. Permanent Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man speaks at the meeting of N.A. Standing Committee on May 15.

After meetings at all levels, on March 31, 2023, CPTPP member countries and the U.K. announced a joint statement on ending the negotiations. The U.K. and the CPTPP members signed the Accession protocol of the U.K. to the CPTPP at the 7th Commission Meeting hosted by New Zealand on July 16, 2023, making this country the 12th signing member of the deal.

The Government of Vietnam proposed the N.A. ratify the U.K.’s accession protocol at the 7th session of the 15th N.A. so that Vietnam will be one of the first six CPTPP countries to ratify it. The early ratification and implementation of commitments in the protocol will help realize opportunities for Vietnamese goods to access the U.K. market, thereby helping to consolidate and strengthen trade - investment relations between the two countries, and enhance Vietnam's image and position in actively promoting international economic cooperation.

Chairman of the N.A.'s Committee for Foreign Affairs Vu Hai Ha emphasized that the ratification of the protocol demonstrates the high and appropriate political determination, in line with the policies and foreign policy of the Party and State and has a positive impact on the country's socio-economic development.

For bilateral letters between Vietnam and the U.K. confirming Vietnam's application of market-opening commitments in the field of Government Procurement for the U.K. as well as for other CPTPP member countries have different contents from the Vietnam - U.K. Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the N.A.'s Committee for Foreign Affairs asked the Government to urgently direct relevant ministries and agencies to review, amend or supplement current legal documents or issue new legal documents (if needed) to guide the implementation of the commitments on Government Procurement in these agreements.

Source: VNA