Britain is a major force once again, Liz Truss says, as UK signs free trade deal in Singapore

Liz Truss said Britain was re-emerging as a major trade drive as she signed a free trade deal with Singapore on Thursday, the UK’s most current settlement ahead of the departure from the European Union on Dec. 31.

The deal signed by the Trade Secretary and her Singaporean counterpart comes as Boris Johnson and EU main Ursula von der Leyen tried to seal a new trade pact and avert what some worry will be a chaotic close to the 5-year Brexit process.

The settlement caught in Singapore mostly mirrors a standing settlement the point out has with the EU.

“Fifty 5 years immediately after Singapore’s independence, the British isles is re-emerging as a thoroughly independent country, and a major drive in world-wide trade,” Ms Truss said ahead of the signing.

“Alongside one another, we’re paving the way for a brighter future, rich in financial probable and prospect.”

Singapore, a rich metropolis-point out of five.7m men and women, counts Britain as its third-biggest investing spouse for merchandise and 2nd biggest for expert services, and its top investment location in Europe.

Complete bilateral trade in between the two international locations was valued at $thirteen.5bn in 2019, in accordance to Singapore’s formal figures.

The deal removes tariffs, presents both equally international locations obtain to every single other’s marketplaces in expert services and cuts non-tariff obstacles in electronics, automobiles and motor vehicle pieces, pharmaceutical solutions, health-related products and renewable electrical power technology, the ministry explained.

Duties will be eradicated by November 2024, the very same timeline as the pact in between the EU and Singapore.

The settlement “gives British firms a platform to obtain opportunities in the region as a result of Singapore”, Trade Minister Chan Chun Sing explained as he signed the deal with Ms Truss.

“Beyond the significant added benefits to our respective firms, the (deal) is a powerful statement towards protectionism and nativism,” Mr Chan explained, including it will be “vital in making sure a powerful and resilient write-up-pandemic restoration for the globe”.

Britain signed its initially major write-up-Brexit trade deal with Japan in October, but Thursday’s settlement is its initially with a member of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations.

The ten-nation bloc is property to 650m people and – prior to the pandemic-induced downturn – experienced appreciated rapid financial expansion in the latest years.

Britain formally remaining the European Union at the close of January and has put in the year negotiating its future romantic relationship with Brussels and placing trade agreements with major economies this sort of as Japan and Canada.

Mr Johnson and  Mrs Von der Leyen have offered by themselves right until the close of the weekend to seal a new trade pact immediately after failing to conquer persistent rifts.

Failure to agree new principles to govern anything from trade to electrical power ties would snarl borders, shock financial marketplaces and sow chaos as a result of supply chains in a globe previously grappling with the financial price of Covid-19.