Senior trade officials representing New Zealand, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom (UK) and Viet Nam met in Queenstown on 11-12 December for the final Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM5) of 2023, hosted by New Zealand. Mexico was present virtually. SOM5 was followed by an in-person only retreat on 12 December.
At SOM5, CPTPP Members welcomed the UK to its first in-person officials-level meeting after the signing of the UK’s accession protocol at the Commission in July. It was also the first meeting that Brunei Darussalam attended in-person after ratifying the Agreement.
As CPTPP Chair, New Zealand had four priorities this year:
- Advancing ratifications and accessions;
- The effective and improved implementation of the CPTPP;
- Promoting inclusive and sustainable trade; and
- Delivering a high quality and authentic host year.
The objectives for SOM5 were to finalise, as much as possible, the CTPPP implementation work led by New Zealand in 2023, to ensure a tidy transition of the areas of work that were continuing into 2024 under Canada’s host year and to discuss the General Review’s next steps.
On implementation matters, the SOM focused on progressing the work of the Customs Ad-Hoc Working Group, including on facilitating paperless trade. The Membership also discussed how the Environment and E-commerce Committees’ work could be incorporated into the General Review.
On the General Review, Canada set out the 2024 work programme based off the Terms of Reference (ToR) that CPTPP Ministers endorsed in the margins of APEC, which will help guide the review. New Zealand will seek further Māori and stakeholder input on the General Review in early 2024.
On inclusive and sustainable trade, New Zealand as Chair, tabled the report from the ‘Te Kāhui a Kiwa’ Indigenous Trade Hui hosted by the University of Waikato in June. The CPTPP Members that are part of the Inclusive Trade Action Group (ITAG) also met in the margins of SOM5 to discuss how they would coordinate work on the inclusive trade agenda in relation to the CPTPP review and in the context of the The Tāmaki Makaurau Joint Declaration for Inclusive and Sustainable Trade.
At the Retreat, Members continued the discussions on accessions, including following up on Ministers’ instructions to focus on the lessons learned from the UK’s accession. The discussion highlighted a number of ideas that would provide practical enhancements to the process, structure and substance of how accessions could run in the future.
The Membership reiterated the importance of the Auckland Principles (high standards, a demonstrated pattern of compliance and consensus) in deciding on next steps, as well as the existing Accession Process document.
On 14 December, New Zealand held a stakeholder engagement session with representatives from business, trade advocacy groups, Māori, NGOs and academics to deliver a high-level summary of SOM5.
The next CPTPP Senior Officials’ Meeting will be hosted by Canada in 2024.