IV.V. ASSESSING THE UK’ S DEVELOPMENT PATH

‘Beyond the Galapagos Syndrome ’ : Mapping the Future of UK-Japan Economic Cooperation

Luke Cavanaugh (ed.), Olivia Bisbee, Owain Cooke, Kezzie Florin-Seon, Elizabeth Steel

currently. This suggests there could be an interest-alignment facilitating

cooperation within the CPTPP on these key issues.

78

Indeed, the UK’ s bilateral trade agreement already has the most comprehensive

digital provisions of any UK agreement with CPTPP members thus far, laying a

precedent for expanding this further through membership in the CPTPP which

has extensive rules for modern digital trade. 79 Japanese support could help

assuage concerns that the UK, as a non-Pacific or APEC state, is not a natural

partner for the CPTPP or that its membership may not benefit current

members. As the largest economy in the CPTPP, Japan is an influential leader in

the group: while Japanese leaders have consistently been positive about the UK’ s

desire to enter the pact, China ’ s request for admission has been greeted with

more hesitancy, although the impact of this on their eventual admission or

denial remains to be seen. 80

The non-trade related implications of CPTPP membership could also sway

opinion in the UK’ s favour, notably its existing security ties to the region with

CPTPP members: it is a member of the Five Eyes arrangement with Australia,

Canada and New Zealand, and has held joint security projects with Japan before,

78 ‘Brexit: Japan ‘ would welcome ’ UK to TPP says Abe ’ ;Kiyoshi Takenaka and Ju-min Park,

‘Japan aims to expand CPTPP trade pact as UK, China eye membership ’ (Reuters, November 20 2020) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apec-summit-japan-idUKKBN2800AF accessed 17 October 2021; Prime Minister ’ s Office, ‘PM Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Suga ’ (11 June 2021) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-japanese-prime-minister-suga-11-june-2 021 accessed 17 October 2021 79 Panda, 'Japan-UK: 'Progressive ' Ties and a Case for Britain in the CPTPP' , p.8

80 Jiji,

‘Japan Faces Difficulty in handling respective CPTPP bids of China and Taiwan ’ (The Japan Times, September 24, 2021) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/09/24/business/cptpp-taiwan-japan-china/ accessed 17 October 2021

36