We welcome the recent signature of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The UK and Japan are natural allies for free trade, and last year total bilateral trade reached £28bn, a 14.8% increase from the previous year.<\/p>
Last year, our Prime Ministers agreed to \u2018elevate our security and prosperity partnership to the next level\u2019 as the UK leaves the EU. As my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade agreed with his counterparts during his recent trip to Japan, we will take this forward by using the current EU-Japan EPA as a basis for a new and stronger partnership.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4690", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Fairhead"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Fairhead"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-08-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "HL9652"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-08-02T12:33:24.523Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "202"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "International Trade"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "International Trade"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Trade Agreements: Japan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recently signed pact on free trade agreed between the EU and Japan; and what assessment they have made of whether any future deal between the UK and Japan after Brexit would be (1) better than, (2) worse than, or (3) the same as this agreed deal.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/248", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Jones of Cheltenham"} ], "uin" : "HL9651"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/944414", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for International Trade"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/944414/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We welcome the recent signature of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The UK and Japan are natural allies for free trade, and last year total bilateral trade reached £28bn, a 14.8% increase from the previous year.<\/p>
Last year, our Prime Ministers agreed to \u2018elevate our security and prosperity partnership to the next level\u2019 as the UK leaves the EU. As my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade agreed with his counterparts during his recent trip to Japan, we will take this forward by using the current EU-Japan EPA as a basis for a new and stronger partnership.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4690", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Fairhead"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Fairhead"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-08-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "HL9651"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-08-02T12:33:24.587Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "202"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "International Trade"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "International Trade"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Trade Agreements: Japan"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to negotiate a new trade deal with Japan after Brexit; and if so, how long they anticipate such negotiations would take.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/248", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Jones of Cheltenham"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Jones of Cheltenham"} ], "uin" : "HL9652"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/944408", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for International Trade"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/944408/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The United Kingdom cannot negotiate its own trade agreements while it is still a member of the European Union. The UK remains committed to supporting ongoing EU negotiations with third countries and will remain a strong advocate for free trade.<\/p>
<\/p>
As the UK leaves the EU, the Government is seeking to ensure continuity for our existing EU trade agreements, including those with: Algeria, Colombia, Egypt, Mexico, South Africa (as part of the Southern African Development Community<\/em> Economic Partnership Agreement), South Korea and Ukraine, as well as with Vietnam once the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement has been ratified.<\/p> <\/p> The UK continues to support the implementation of the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the East Africa Community (EAC), including Kenya. If all EAC partners find a way to sign the EPA, the UK will also seek to replicate the effects of this agreement before we leave the EU.<\/p> <\/p> The Government is talking with a range of key trade partners to explore the best ways of delivering our priorities for our trade and investment relationships. These include working groups with Colombia, Mexico, South Korea and Turkey, and commercial dialogues with Argentina and Thailand.<\/p> <\/p> We have introduced legislation which enables the UK to put in place a trade preference scheme for developing countries which will, as a minimum, provide the same level of access as the EU\u2019s scheme. Ethiopia, the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Tanzania and Uganda are currently beneficiaries of the EU scheme.<\/p> <\/p> The Department for International Trade (DIT) is working with all the listed countries on promoting trade and investment relationships, including through our overseas network of embassies and High Commissions. The number of visits to these countries by Ministers from DIT are given in the tables below. DIT\u2019s Permanent Secretary (Antonia Romeo) and Second Permanent Secretary (Crawford Falconer) have not visited these countries in the period specified. Visits to these countries by other DIT officials is not recorded centrally.<\/p> <\/p>