Australia
Free trade agreements in force
Australia is party to 18 free trade agreements (FTAs) worldwide covering 30 economies. [1] [2]
Australia is party to 18 free trade agreements (FTAs) worldwide covering 30 economies. [1] [2]
Australia was a founding member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947, which aimed to promote international trade by reducing tariffs and other trade barriers. The focus during this period was primarily on multilateral trade negotiations rather than bilateral agreements.
The Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (ANZCERTA), signed in 1983, marked a significant step towards bilateral trade agreements, creating a single economic market between the two nations. The 1990s saw Australia engaging in further bilateral agreements, including those with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Australia-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (ASFTA) was signed in 2003, followed by agreements with Thailand and the United States (Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, AUSFTA) in 2005. These agreements aimed to strengthen economic ties and promote trade in goods and services.
The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA), effective in 2010, expanded trade relations with Southeast Asian countries. In 2018, Australia became a signatory to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which includes several key economies in the Asia-Pacific region. [1]
Australia has bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements with the following blocs and countries: [3]
New Zealand : Closer Economic Relations (1983) [4] 
Singapore : Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) (2003)
United States : Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) (2005)
Thailand : Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) (2005)
Chile : Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement (ACl-FTA) (2009)
Malaysia : Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement (MAFTA) (2013)
South Korea : Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) (2014)
Japan : Japan-Australia Free Trade Agreement (JAEPA) (2015)
China : China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) (2015)
Hong Kong : Australia-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (A-HKFTA) (2020)
Peru : Peru-Australia Free Trade Agreement (PAFTA) (2020)
Indonesia : Indonesia- Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) (2020)
India : Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) (2022)
United Kingdom : Australia-United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement (A-UKFTA) (2023)
European Union : Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement, entered negotiations in 2019, suspended since 2023. [9] 
United Arab Emirates : Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, negotiations starting in 2024. [10] India : Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), negotiating since 2011, suspended from 2016 to 2022. [11] 
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with 189 UN member states. The three exceptions are the Central African Republic, Monaco and South Sudan.
The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is a trade bloc agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations supporting local trade and manufacturing in all ASEAN countries, and facilitating economic integration with regional and international allies. It stands as one of the largest and most important free trade areas (FTA) in the world, and together with its network of dialogue partners, drove some of the world's largest multilateral forums and blocs, including Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, East Asia Summit and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
The East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC) or East Asia Economic Group (EAEG) was a regional free trade zone (FTA) proposed in 1997 by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and encompasses most nations of East and Southeast Asia (ESEA). However, Japan at the time refused participation due to the exclusion of the United States, which at the time had tariffs on each other, has an economy too deeply interlinked through trade, and was still reeling from the effects of the Japanese asset price bubble. They also added that they were already members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and many other notable regional organizations in ESEA. South Korea was also extremely dissatisfied with the idea of placing Japan at the center of the proposed organization due to historical connotations.
New Zealand is party to 14 free trade agreements (FTAs) worldwide. Together they accounted for over 70% of New Zealand's trade in 2023.
Malaysia–New Zealand relations refers to foreign relations between Malaysia and New Zealand. Malaysia has a High Commission in Wellington, and New Zealand has a High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations and Malaysia is important to New Zealand for strategic, political and economic reasons, with both countries' leaders were engaged in frequent visits to boost their relations.
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership for East Asia (CEPEA) is a Japanese led proposal for trade co-operation and free trade agreement among the 16 present member countries of the East Asia Summit. All those movements and efforts were taken over by the following Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
The ASEAN–India Free Trade Area (AIFTA) is a free trade area among the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of India. The initial framework agreement was signed on 8 October 2003 in Bali, Indonesia. and the final agreement was on 13 August 2009. The free trade area came into effect on 1 January 2010. India hosted the latest ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi on 26 January 2018. In the financial year 2017–18, Indo-ASEAN bilateral trade grew by almost 14% to reach US$81.3 billion. India's imports from ASEAN were valued at US$47.13 billion while its exports to ASEAN stood at US$34.2 billion.
Vangelis (Evangelos) Vitalis is a New Zealand diplomat and trade negotiator currently working as the Deputy Secretary for the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The free trade agreements of Canada represents Canada's cooperation in multinational trade pacts and plays a large role in the Canadian economy. Canada is regularly described as a trading nation, considering its total trade is worth more than two-thirds of its GDP. Of that total trade, roughly 75% is done with countries that are part of free trade agreements with Canada—primarily the United States through the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), and its predecessor the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). By the end of 2014, Canada's bilateral trade hit Can$1 trillion for the first time. Canada is a signatory to 15 free trade agreements with 51 countries.
The China–Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement is a proposed free trade agreement between China, Japan and South Korea. The China-Japan-South Korea Free Trade Agreement was proposed in 2002. Negotiations on the agreement were set in motion in 2012. At the time, the three nations made up to 19.6% of the world's economy. Two-way trade between South Korea and China was totaled at $230 billion in 2013.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific countries of Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The 15 member countries account for about 30% of the world's population and 30% of global GDP, making it the largest trade bloc in history. Signed in November 2020, RCEP is the first free trade agreement among the largest economies in Asia, including China, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea.
The negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement were held between 12 countries between 2008 and 2015. The negotiations were aimed at obtaining an agreement between the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement parties Brunei, Chile, Singapore and New Zealand, as well as the Australia and the United States.
Establishment in 1986, the Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABC) has been the leading voice of Malaysian and Australian business. Supported by its co-patrons, the Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry and the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, the MABC plays a critical role in advancing bilateral trade and investment while providing a range of services to its members based both in Malaysia and Australia.
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), initially abbreviated as TPP11 or TPP-11, is a trade agreement that evolved from the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
South Korea has concluded free trade agreements (FTAs) and other agreements with a trade component with countries around the world and is negotiating with others.
India is party to free trade agreements (FTAs) and other trade agreements with many countries and trade blocs, and is negotiating with many others. As of 2022, India has preferential access, economic cooperation and FTA with more than 50 individual countries.
Vietnam, although a relatively young and small nation, has successfully established trade relations with dozens of countries worldwide. This is especially evident in the number of free trade agreements (FTAs) that the country has signed and is participating in. Being part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), economic opportunities for Vietnam expands beyond bilateral trade agreements, with specific countries in order to include multilateral trade agreements via the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).
The accession of the United Kingdom to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has been on the current agenda for the enlargement of the CPTPP since 2 June 2021, when the CPTPP Commission decided to move forward with the application of the United Kingdom as an aspirant economy. The United Kingdom officially applied for CPTPP membership on 1 February 2021. Accession negotiations between the UK and the 11 current CPTPP members negotiations were concluded on 31 March 2023. The UK formally signed the accession protocol on 16 July 2023. The UK and at least 6 of the 11 existing member nations will need to ratify the accession protocol before it takes effect. The UK Government expected the entry into force to take place in the second half of 2024. On 29 August 2024, the UK government announced the agreement is expected to enter into force on 15 December 2024, after securing the final ratification required for membership.
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