Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Recommendation 8
8th Report - Export led growth: Trade with the Asia-Pacific region
Published 29 Jun 2025
Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Export led growth All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Government should step up collaborative engagement to encourage greater alignment and interoperability in digital rules, while maintaining strong multilateral commitments. In particular, the Government must continue to support the WTO e-commerce moratorium and the Joint Statement Initiative on e-commerce. (Recommendation, Paragraph 49)
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, 8th Report - Export led growth: Trade with the Asia-Pacific region (HC 1048), 29 June 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 September 2025 (deadline 29 August 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out how it is using existing trade dialogues, agreements and the Trade Strategy in the Asia-Pacific region, agreeing with the first recommendation while giving qualified answers on others, including digital agreements and defence funding.
- On trade dialogues, the government "agrees" they are "an important and powerful tool", and says that "where appropriate" it works with businesses to influence partner governments in the region.
- On DEPA, it will explore accession "if it is in our national interest", but is "not in a position to confirm that we will seek accession at this point".
- On the Global Combat Air Programme, it remains "committed" to delivery. On longer-term funding, it recognises "the importance of stable funding" but says resourcing must also match "capability requirements and use cases".
- On AUKUS, it "remains supportive" of Japan's participation in Pillar Two activities, but says new participants must be "agreed trilaterally" and the UK cannot decide alone.