TOKYO, July 7 Ukraine has officially applied to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), NHK TV channel reports.
The submission of the application was announced by the current chair of the organization, New Zealand. Ukraine has expressed a desire to enter into an agreement in May. Thus, Kyiv intends to strengthen economic ties with the participating countries, the TV channel reports. However, for Ukraine's entry into the TPP, the consent of all 11 countries is required. In mid-July, at the ministerial meeting of the participating countries, the issue of Ukrainian participation in the association is expected to be discussed.
The TPP is a trade agreement signed in February 2016 between 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including the United States, which aims to reduce tariff barriers, as well as regulate domestic rules in member countries in areas such as labor law, environmental protection, intellectual property and a number of others. As part of the agreement, it was planned to create a free trade zone in the Asia-Pacific region. However, after the victory of Donald Trump in the presidential elections, the United States refused to participate in the agreement. After that, 11 TPP countries — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Japan, Mexico, Chile and Peru — formed the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP, CPTPP), an agreement on which was signed on March 8, 2018 in Chile. The combined GDP of the 11 participating countries is $11 trillion.