Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 5-7 August 2020, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi paid a visit to Great Britain, during which he met with First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Dominic Raab and Minister of International Trade Liz Truss.

The agenda included such topics as:

a) pandemic COVID-19; b) problems associated with the PRC and Hong Kong;

c) free trade agreement.

The parties agreed to intensify cooperation:

1) in the fight against COVID-19. It was announced that the parties will continue to cooperate in creating a mechanism for the distribution of vaccines and drugs;

2) in the field of security. In the context of the increasing military activity of the PRC in the region, the parties agreed to hold a meeting in the "two plus two" format with the participation of the foreign ministers and defense departments of the two countries;

3) in the signing of a new trade agreement between the countries until the end of 2020.

Experts note that after the UK left the EU, London’s top priority was to conclude new trade agreements, including with Tokyo. London will withdraw from the current agreement between Japan and the EU at the end of 2020. The early conclusion of a new deal with Tokyo will demonstrate the success of the policy of B. Johnson, who believes that free trade agreements with other countries, adapted to the interests of the UK, are the key advantage of London’s exit from the EU.

Negotiations on a new trade agreement began in June this year. At the same time, Tokyo is seeking to reduce tariffs on the export of cars and spare parts, and London is aiming at greater liberalization by Japan of the agricultural market, banking services, and e-commerce. In 2019, the volume of bilateral trade made up US$41.5 billion.The new trade deal is capable of increasing this figure by US$19 billion.

In general, according to experts, the visit demonstrated that the parties have common economic and strategic goals and their intention to strengthen cooperation in these areas. The signing of a trade deal with Japan could help London join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and improve access for British businesses to the Asia-Pacific region.