Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, previously abbreviated as TPP11 or TPP-11 before enlargement, is a multilateral trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
The twelve members have combined economies representing 14.4% of global gross domestic product, at approximately trillion, making the CPTPP the world's fourth largest free trade area by GDP, behind the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, the European single market, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
History
Trans-Pacific Partnership
The CPTPP evolved from the Trans-Pacific Partnership abbreviated as TPP11 or TPP-11, an agreement which was never ratified due to the withdrawal of the United States.The TPP had been signed on 4 February 2016 but never entered into force, as the U.S. withdrew from the agreement soon after the election of President Donald Trump. All other TPP signatories agreed in May 2017 to revive the agreement, with Shinzo Abe's administration in Japan widely reported as taking the leading role in place of the U.S.
Establishment of the CPTPP
In January 2018, the CPTPP was created as a succeeding agreement, retaining two-thirds of its predecessor's provisions; 22 measures favored by the U.S. but contested by other signatories were suspended, while the threshold for enactment was lowered so as not to require U.S. accession.The agreement to establish the CPTPP was signed on 8 March 2018 by Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, with the ceremony held in Santiago, Chile. The agreement specifies that its provisions enter into effect 60 days after ratification by at least half the signatories. On 31 October 2018, Australia was the sixth nation to ratify the agreement; it subsequently came into force for the initial six ratifying countries on 30 December 2018.
Negotiations
During the round of negotiations held concurrently with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum APEC [Vietnam 2017|in Vietnam in November 2017], the Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau refused to sign the agreement in principle, stating reservations about the provisions on culture and automotives. Media outlets in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, which strongly supported quick movement on a deal, strongly criticized what they portrayed as Canadian sabotage.Canada insisted that cultural and language rights, specifically related to its French-speaking minority, be protected.
However, Canada's major reservation was a conflict between the percentage of a vehicle that must originate in a CPTPP member nation to enter tariff-free, which was 45% under the original TPP language and 62.5% under the NAFTA agreement. Japan, which is a major automobile part exporter, strongly supported lower requirements. In January 2018, Canada announced that it would sign the CPTPP after obtaining binding side letters on culture with every other CPTPP member country, as well as bilateral agreements with Japan, Malaysia, and Australia related to non-tariff barriers. Canada's Auto Parts Manufacturers' Association sharply criticized increasing the percentages of automobile parts that may be imported tariff-free, noting that the United States was moving in the opposite direction by demanding stricter importation standards in the NAFTA renegotiation, later USMCA.
In February 2019, Canada's Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification, delivered a keynote address at a seminar concerning CPTPP - Expanding Your Business Horizons, reaching out to businesses stating the utilisation of the agreement provides a bridge that will enable people, goods and services to be shared more easily.
Chapters
TPP modification and incorporation
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership incorporates most of the provisions of the abandoned Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, using mutatis mutandis. Several clauses within Article 30 of the TPP were suspended for the CPTPP, including:- Accession
- Entry into Force
- Withdrawal
- Authentic Texts.
- Chapter 9: Investment
- Chapter 10: Cross-Border Trade in Services
- Chapter 11: Financial Services
- Chapter 13: Telecommunications
- Chapter 15: Government Procurement
- Chapter 18: Intellectual Property
- Chapter 20: Environment
- Chapter 26: Transparency and Anti-Corruption.
CPTPP Chapters
There are currently 30 chapters in the CPTPP Agreement listed below:| No | Area | No | Area |
| Chapter 1 | Initial Provisions and General Definitions | Chapter 16 | Competition Policy |
| Chapter 2 | National Treatment and Market Access for Goods | Chapter 17 | State-Owned Enterprises and Designated Monopolies |
| Chapter 3 | Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures | Chapter 18 | Intellectual Property |
| Chapter 4 | Textile and Apparel Goods | Chapter 19 | Labour |
| Chapter 5 | Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation | Chapter 20 | Environment |
| Chapter 6 | Trade Remedies | Chapter 21 | Cooperation and Capacity Building |
| Chapter 7 | Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures | Chapter 22 | Competitiveness and Business Facilitation |
| Chapter 8 | Technical Barriers to Trade | Chapter 23 | Development |
| Chapter 9 | Investment | Chapter 24 | Small and Medium-sized Enterprises |
| Chapter 10 | Cross-Border Trade in Services | Chapter 25 | Regulatory Coherence |
| Chapter 11 | Financial Services | Chapter 26 | Transparency and Anti-corruption |
| Chapter 12 | Temporary Entry for Business Persons | Chapter 27 | Administrative and Institutional Provisions |
| Chapter 13 | Telecommunications | Chapter 28 | Dispute Settlement |
| Chapter 14 | Electronic Commerce | Chapter 28 | Exceptions and General Provisions |
| Chapter 15 | Government Procurement | Chapter 30 | Final Provisions |
Chapter 2: Goods
The chapter on goods requires the elimination of most tariffs between members and the final elimination of approx 99% of tariff lines.Chapter 14: E-commerce
The e-commerce chapter of the CPTPP mandates that signatories adopt or at the very least maintain laws for consumer protection with the aim to fight fraud and deceptive commercial activities.Chapter 17: State Owned Enterprise
The chapter on state-owned enterprises requires signatories to share information about SOEs with each other, with the intent of engaging with the issue of state intervention in markets. It includes the most detailed standards for intellectual property of any trade agreement, as well as protections against Intellectual property infringement against corporations operating abroad.Membership
Legislative process
An overview of the legislative process in selected states is shown below:Ratifications
On 28 June 2018, Mexico became the first country to finish its domestic ratification procedure of the CPTPP, with President Enrique Peña Nieto stating, "With this new generation agreement, Mexico diversifies its economic relations with the world and demonstrates its commitment to openness and free trade".On 6 July 2018, Japan became the second country to ratify the agreement.
On 19 July 2018, Singapore became the third country to ratify the agreement and deposit its instrument of ratification.
On 17 October 2018, the Australian Federal Parliament passed relevant legislation through the Senate. The official ratification was deposited on 31 October 2018. This two-week gap made Australia the sixth signatory to deposit its ratification of the agreement, and it came into force 60 days later.
On 25 October 2018, New Zealand ratified the CPTPP, increasing the number of countries that had formally ratified the agreement to four.
Also on 25 October 2018, Canada passed and was granted royal assent on the enabling legislation. The official ratification was deposited on 29 October 2018.
On 2 November 2018, the CPTPP and related documents were submitted to the National Assembly of Vietnam for ratification. On 12 November 2018, the National Assembly passed a resolution unanimously ratifying the CPTPP. The Vietnamese government officially notified New Zealand of its ratification on 15 November 2018.
On 14 July 2021, the CPTPP was approved by the Congress of the Republic of Peru. The official ratification was deposited on 21 July 2021.
On 30 September 2022, Malaysia ratified the CPTPP and deposited its instrument of ratification.
On 17 April 2019, the CPTPP was approved by the Chamber of Deputies of Chile. The final round of approval in the Senate was scheduled for November 2019, after being approved by its Commission of Constitution. However, due to a series of massive protests against the government of Sebastián Piñera, the ratification process was paused. Only in 2022, the ratification process was resumed after a new Congress and a new President were elected. Despite the public opposition of Gabriel Boric to the treaty before his election as President, the new administration did not interfere in the voting. The CPTPP was approved in the Senate with 27 votes in favor and 10 against, mostly by members of the ruling coalition. The treaty was deposited on 23 December, once several side letters were negotiated with the other signatories in specific topics considered harmful by the Chilean government. On 23 February 2023, Boric ratified Chile's entry to TPP-11.
On 13 May 2023, Brunei ratified the CPTPP and deposited its instrument of ratification.
Entry into force
The agreement came into effect 60 days after ratification and deposit of accession documents by at least half the signatories. Australia was the sixth country to ratify the agreement, which was deposited with New Zealand on 31 October 2018, and consequently the agreement came into force between Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore on 30 December 2018.On 1 January 2019, Australia, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Singapore implemented a second round of tariff cuts. Japan's second tariff cut took place on 1 April 2019.
On 15 November 2018, Vietnam deposited the accession documents, and the agreement entered into force in Vietnam on 14 January 2019.
On 21 July 2021, Peru deposited the accession documents, and the agreement entered into force in Peru on 19 September 2021.
On 30 September 2022, Malaysia deposited the accession documents, and the agreement entered into force in Malaysia on 29 November 2022.
On 23 December 2022, Chile deposited the accession documents, and the agreement entered into force in Chile on 21 February 2023.
On 13 May 2023, Brunei deposited the accession documents, and the agreement entered into force in Brunei on 12 July 2023.
Geographic scope
The CPTPP defines the "territory" of each party in Annex 1-A of Chapter 1 of the agreement. These definitions outline the geographic areas to which the CPTPP applies, encompassing land territories, islands, internal waters, territorial seas, exclusive economic zones, continental shelves, airspace, and other maritime areas where the party exercises sovereign rights or jurisdiction, consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.A key aspect of these definitions is the explicit inclusion or exclusion of certain remote and offshore territories to ensure precise coverage for trade and economic activities. For example, Mexico's territory is defined to specifically include the remote Pacific islands of Guadalupe Island and the Revillagigedo Islands, along with any areas beyond the territorial seas where Mexico exercises sovereign rights or jurisdiction under international and domestic law. Australia's definition covers the mainland territory, airspace, territorial sea, contiguous zone and EEZ, and includes the Pacific territories of the Coral Sea Islands and Norfolk Island, as well the Indian Ocean territories of Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island and Heard Island and McDonald Islands. New Zealand's territory explicitly excludes Tokelau, a non-self-governing Polynesian territory of New Zealand which enjoys substantial self-administration, and which remains on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories. Prior to the United Kingdom's CPTPP membership, the uninhabited Heard Island and McDonald Islands were the furthest removed CPTPP territory from the Pacific Ocean, as they are over 4,000 kilometers from the West Australian city of Perth.
CPTPP Commission
The CPTPP Commission is the decision-making body of the CPTPP, which was established when the CPTPP entered into force on 30 December 2018.The official languages of CPTPP are English, French, and Spanish; English is used prevailing in the case of conflict or divergence. The CPTPP commission in 2025 is chaired by Australia.
1st CPTPP Commission
Representatives from the eleven CPTPP signatories participated in the 1st CPTPP Commission meeting held in Tokyo on 19 January 2019, which decided:
- A decision about the chairing and administrative arrangements for the commission and special transitional arrangements for 2019;
- A decision to establish the accession process for interested economies to join the CPTPP; Annex
- A decision to create rules of procedure and a code of conduct for disputes involving Parties to the; Annex; Annex I
- A decision to create a code of conduct for investor-State dispute settlement.; Annex* Members of the CPTPP Commission also issued a joint ministerial statement on 19 January 2019.
The 2nd CPTPP Commission meeting was held on 9 October 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. Alongside the commission, the following Committees met for the first time in Auckland: Trade in Goods; Rules of Origin; Agricultural Trade; Technical Barriers to Trade; Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures; Small and Medium Sized Enterprises; State Owned Enterprises; Development; Cooperation and Capacity Building; Competitiveness and Business Facilitation; Environment; and the Labour Council. The Commission adopted two formal decisions, on its Rules of Procedure under Article 27.4 and to establish a Roster of Panel Chairs as provided for under Article 28.11.
3rd CPTPP Commission
The 3rd CPTPP Commission meeting was held virtually and hosted by Mexico on 5 August 2020.
4th CPTPP Commission
The 4th CPTPP Commission meeting was held virtually and hosted by Japan on 2 June 2021. The Commission decided to move forward with the application of the United Kingdom as an aspirant economy.
5th CPTPP Commission
The 5th CPTPP Commission meeting was held virtually and hosted by Japan on 1 September 2021. The Commission decided to establish a Committee on Electronic Commerce composed of government representatives of each Party.
6th CPTPP Commission
The 6th CPTPP Commission meeting was held on 8 October 2022 and hosted by Singapore.
7th CPTPP Commission
The 7th CPTPP Commission meeting was held on 16 July 2023 in Auckland, New Zealand. The commission decided to establish a Committee on Customs Administration and Trade Facilitation. The meeting included the formal signing of the accession of the United Kingdom.
8th CPTPP Commission
The 8th CPTPP Commission meeting was held on 28 November 2024 in Vancouver, Canada. The Commission decided to move forward with the application of Costa Rica as an aspirant economy.
9th CPTPP Commission
The 9th CPTPP Commission meeting was held on from 20-21 November 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. On the 20 November the commission planned to finish the negotiations and add Costa Rica by years end, and declared four other countries as meeting the criteria to join the CPTPP. The commission decided to move forward with the application of Uruguay as an aspirant economy first before the end of the 2025 and then with the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Indonesia in 2026 if appropriate. A proposal from Vietnam for the establishment of a CPTPP support unit aimed at addressing resource constraints for the implementation of the agreement received unanimous support from all members.
At the meeting, a subgroup of member nations issued a document known as The Birrarung Statement. This specific statement was championed by Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Singapore, and Chile. It was named after Melbourne's Yarra River and represents a formal commitment to integrate Indigenous perspectives into the framework of international trade. It aimed to address the historic marginalization of indigenous peoples in global commerce. By signing the statement, the six nations agreed to explore ways to increase Indigenous participation in regional supply chains and to ensure that future trade policies are inclusive.
Enlargement
CPTPP rules require all twelve signatories to agree to the admission of additional members. Article 34 of CPTPP states that "any State or separate customs territory that is a member of APEC, and any other State or separate customs territory as the Parties may agree" are eligible to accede to the agreement.Current applicants
| Country or region | Status | Application | Negotiations opened | Negotiations concluded | Signature | Ref. |
 Costa RicaApplicantsCambodiaOn 17 June 2025, Cambodia created a government task force to study the feasibility of joining CPTPP. In December 2025, Nikkei Asia reported that Cambodia had submitted its application to join the CPTPP trade pact.ChinaChinese leaders have made aspirational statements about joining the TPP since 2013. In May 2020, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that China was willing to consider joining CPTPP. Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi Jinping said at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November 2020 that China would "actively consider" joining CPTPP.In December 2020, Japan Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has said that "TPP-11 sets high standards for regulations on e-commerce, intellectual property and state-owned enterprises", suggesting the amount of government intervention in the Chinese economy will not meet CPTPP requirements. China's application to CPTPP is unlikely to gain traction. Although not a member of CPTPP, the U.S. can exercise the "poison pill" clause within the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement to dissuade Canada and Mexico from voting in favour of the Chinese application. On 16 September 2021, China formally applied to join CPTPP. Japan Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura was quoted by Reuters: "Japan believes that it's necessary to determine whether China, which submitted a request to join the TPP-11, is ready to meet its extremely high standards"; indicating that Japan would not support the Chinese application under the current circumstances. Former Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan indicated that Australia would oppose China's application until China halts trade strikes against Australian exports and resumes minister-to-minister contacts with the Australian government. Also, Australia has lodged disputes against China in the WTO on restrictions imposed by China on exports of barley and wine. Costa RicaCosta Rica filed its application to join the CPTPP trade pact on 11 August 2022 as part of recently elected President Rodrigo Chaves Robles's strategy of strengthening trade with Asian economies. Costa Rica was invited on 28 November 2024 to begin accession talks by the CPTPP commission at its 8th meeting, an Accession Working Group for Costa Rica chaired by Peru and vice-chaired by Canada and New Zealand was created. On 28 April 2025, Japan and Costa Rica agreed to work together to support Costa Rica's bid to join the trade bloc. At the 9th CPTPP meeting on 20 November 2025 the commission planned to finish the negotiations and add Costa Rica by years end.EcuadorEcuador filed its application to join the CPTPP trade pact on 29 December 2021 as the country moves to reduce its reliance on oil and diversify its economy through exports.IndonesiaIndonesia initially showed the least interest of three linked ASEAN members to apply to CPTPP, however continued to monitor the developments of the trade bloc, with Indonesian ambassador to the US Rosan Roeslani leaving the door open but clarifying that Indonesia was not in the process of applying to CPTPP at that time. In October 2023, Jakarta Globe reported that the primary reason for Indonesia's lack of interest in CPTPP was due to the government's policy of reducing imported goods in its public procurement in order to develop its domestic industry, which is incompatible with CPTPP requirements for members to eliminate over 98 percent of tariffs in the free trade area. In December 2023, Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto heavily discussed CPTPP with British Trade Envoy to Indonesia, Richard Graham; this meeting occurred a few months after the UK signed the accession protocols to join CPTPP. In April 2024, Hartarto conveyed Indonesia's interest in joining CPTPP to British Minister of State for Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan during a meeting in London; Trevelyan emphasised that the UK supported Indonesia's bids to join the OECD and CPTPP. On 3 June 2024, Hartarto announced that Indonesia would apply to join CPTPP in 2024, as it would be a faster method to gain access to new markets, highlighting the UK and Mexico, than negotiating individual bilateral agreements.Indonesia filed its application to join the CPTPP trade pact on 19 September 2024. PhilippinesThe Philippines' interest in the CPTPP has remained, but the consultative process and legal analysis of the terms necessary for accession have been drawn out. The Philippines previously wanted to join the TPP in 2016 under Benigno Aquino, who said that the country stood to gain from becoming a member of the trade pact. Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez later clarified that the US withdrawal from TPP pushed the Philippines' application to CPTPP down the agenda, yet China's interest in acceding to CPTPP has made the trade bloc more attractive for the Philippines. In July 2024, Trade Undersecretary Allan Gepty announced that the Philippines would apply for membership of CPTPP by the end of the year. The Philippines reportedly submitted its application to the CPTPP trade pact in August 2025 according to unnamed Japanese officials.TaiwanTaiwan applied to join CPTPP on 22 September 2021.It had previously expressed interest to join TPP in 2016. After TPP's evolution to CPTPP in 2018, Taiwan indicated its will to continue efforts to join CPTPP. In December 2020, the Taiwanese government stated that it would submit an application to join CPTPP following the conclusion of informal consultations with existing members. In February 2021 again, Taiwan indicated its will to apply to join CPTPP at an appropriate time. A few days after China submitted its request to join the CPTPP, Taiwan sent its own request to join the CPTPP, a move that has been one of the main policy objectives of Tsai Ing-wen's government. UkraineOn 1 May 2023, the Ukrainian government announced its intention for the accession of Ukraine to CPTPP. Ukraine aims to accelerate its efforts to restore its economy severely damaged by the Russian invasion. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng expressed support for Ukraine's application. Ukraine submitted a formal request to join the trade bloc on 5 May 2023.United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates reportedly submitted its application to the CPTPP trade pact in August 2025 according to unnamed Japanese officials.UruguayUruguay filed its application to join the CPTPP trade pact on 1 December 2022. Uruguay's application received backlash from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, of which make up the Mercosur trade bloc, particularly following President Lacelle Pou opening negotiations for a free trade agreement with China and signalling his willingness to cut deals with other countries. Paraguay's Foreign Minister Julio Arriola responded by stating that "Mercosur member states should negotiate as a bloc and via consensus and we continue in that line,” citing the organization's founding treaties. In 2024 Uruguay joined the Patent Cooperation Treaty which adherence to was cited as being an essential requirement to join the CPTPP. On 1 March 2025 former foreign minister Omar Paganini stated he believes that Uruguay is poised to enter the pact with nine countries having said yes to membership and none opposed, however incumbent foreign minister Mario Lubetkin was less confident saying that Uruguay was far from reaching a deal. Uruguay was formally invited to join amid the 9th CPTPP Commission meeting held in Melbourne, Australia.Existing FTAs with applicantsThe following countries have table shows the existing free trade agreements between CPTPP member states and applicants, the more existing FTAs the faster the negotiations. As listed by the World Trade Organization.
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China