Thank you for emailing me about data and privacy standards in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The CPTPP is a £9 trillion free trade area that includes major advanced economies such as Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore as well as emerging markets such as Mexico and Vietnam. Negotiations on the UK’s accession began in June 2021.
The Government has been clear that joining the CPTPP would allow the UK to maintain its high standards of data protection as set out in the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. Under UK law, personal data cannot be sent outside of the UK unless the conditions for doing so are met in accordance with the UK GDPR. Additional tools available for businesses for the international transfer of personal data ensure that data protection standards are not undermined. Provisions in free trade agreements cannot bypass this requirement.
Joining the CPTPP would, however, address unjustified barriers to data flows, such as unnecessary data localisation, while ensuring the UK maintains high standards of protection for individuals’ personal data. Modern rules on data would support the UK’s high-growth tech sector and enable greater access to financial and professional services markets.
I believe that strengthening trade links in the region will provide unrivalled opportunities for British businesses. Asia, for instance, is expected to be home to 65 per cent of the world’s 5.4 billion middle-class consumers by the end of the decade and digitally delivered services from the UK to the CPTPP were worth £18.7 billion in 2019.
Thank you again for contacting me.