The governments of Australia and the United Kingdom have concluded their second round trade negotiations, with talks described as productive and making good progress towards a comprehensive deal between the two nations.
Written by James Skinner
The UK is set to conclude its transition period with the European Union by the end of 2020, and negotiating a comprehensive deal with Australia to include tariff reductions and labour mobility is currently underway.
In a statement released this week, UK Secretary of State Liz Truss said:
“Both countries are committed to removing trade barriers and creating new opportunities for business, and believe a deep and dynamic agreement can send a clear signal to the world that both the UK and Australia are prepared to fight protectionism and advance free and fair trade.”
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The number of discussions between the two nations has now totaled 73 sessions, and both sides have committed to further discussions in round three which is expected to take place in November.
“There is a shared willingness to go even further than CPTPP and consider more ambitious proposals,” said Truss.
So far, talks have focused on key issues of benefit between Australia and the UK, including e-commerce, financial services, trade in goods, labour mobility and telecommunications. The third round of talks are expected to negotiate mutual agreements regarding competition, digital services, goods, government procurement and rules of origin.
CANZUK International is encouraged by the talks centering around free trade and labour mobility between Australia and the UK, and will continue to advocate for CANZUK policies ahead of the two nations’ final discussions before the end of 2020.
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