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<p>Our priority is to be in a position to begin formal negotiations with key partners
after we leave the EU, and to then make progress towards substantive agreements, so
long as such agreements work for the whole of the UK. We have completed public consultations
on potential future free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States,
Australia and New Zealand, and on the UK’s potential accession to the Comprehensive
and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We plan to publish
Government responses for each of the four consultations before any formal negotiations
begin.</p><p>Trade agreements vary in shape, scope and form, and there is no “average”
timeframe for completion. For example, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement
(CETA) between the EU and Canada took seven years to negotiate, the China-Switzerland
FTA took two, but the USA-Jordan FTA negotiations only four months. The Government
is clear that its objective is to negotiate the best possible FTAs for the whole of
the UK, in the interests of business and consumers.</p><p>While we are looking to
forge new agreements, the Government is also seeking continuity for our existing EU
trade agreements as we leave the EU. A list of all signed trade continuity agreements
is available on the GOV.UK website.</p>
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