ＴＰＰ、英の参加交渉開始　西村再生相がテレビ会議

　西村康稔経済再生担当相は２２日、英国のトラス国際貿易相と会談し、同国の環太平洋連携協定（ＴＰＰ）参加に向けた交渉をスタートさせた。ＴＰＰ加盟１１カ国は近く作業部会を設置し、英国の参加へ向けた具体的な協議に着手する。２０１８年のＴＰＰ発効後、初の加盟国拡大に向けた議論が動きだす。
　日本は、作業部会の議長を務める。西村氏は会談で「ＴＰＰを世界に拡大するという目標の達成に向け、（英国の）加入手続きを精力的に進めていきたい」と述べた。トラス氏は「参加交渉をする最初の国となれて大変光栄だ」と応じた。（2021/06/22-19:58）

Negotiations on Britain's bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact started on Tuesday with an online meeting between Japanese economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and British International Trade Secretary Liz Truss.
   Japan and 10 other member countries of the TPP will soon set up a working group to launch full-fledged talks on Britain's possible participation in the framework, which would mark the first expansion of the trade pact since it took effect in 2018. Japan will chair the working group.
   "We want to aggressively promote procedures for Britain's participation in order to achieve our goal of expanding the TPP into the world," Nishimura told Truss.
   Truss said it is a great honor for Britain to become the first country to enter negotiations on becoming a new TPP member.
   Britain's participation would raise the TPP members' share in global gross domestic product to 16.0 pct form 12.8 pct.