Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Acknowledged
Set out plan to promote liberalisation and export of environmental goods and services.
Recommendation
As part of its new trade strategy, the Government should clearly set out how it will promote the liberalisation and export of environmental goods and services, particularly in and to the fast-moving Asia-Pacific region. The strategy must be aligned with the UK’s industrial strategy, underpinned by clear commitments to assess and respond to strategic dependencies and anti-competitive distortions in sectors of national security, while maintaining the UK’s support for a rules-based trading system. (Recommendation, Paragraph 56) 35
Government Response Summary
The government outlined its general engagement with Asia-Pacific markets, including ministerial travel, CPTPP membership, and existing trade agreements, stating that its trade policy aims to generate UK growth through various levers. However, it did not specifically detail how it will promote environmental goods and services exports or align this with the UK's industrial strategy to address strategic dependencies as recommended.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Department for Business and Trade Ministers have engaged comprehensively across Asia during this Parliament, travelling to 9 markets, and will continue to do so. The Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security recently travelled to Japan to support the excellent UK pavilion at the Osaka Expo, the third visit this year by DBT Ministers to this important market not only for UK exports, but also for investment opportunities into the UK. The Government is working to embed ourselves in key Asia-Pacific markets through our membership of CPTPP, providing UK businesses additional access to a market of over 500 million people1 and seeking to facilitate trade through supporting the development of dialogues between CPTPP and both the EU and ASEAN. The UK is also a dialogue partner of ASEAN, in addition to having a number of free trade agreements and trade arrangements with markets in the region. As set out in the Trade Strategy, the Government’s trade policy approach goes beyond driving exports, and seeks to generate UK growth through a wide range of levers including in the Asia-Pacific region.