Fiji and PNG Sign a Post-Brexit Trade Deal

The United Kingdom has rushed Fiji and PNG to sign a post-Brexit trade deal ahead of its impending exit from the European Union (EU). Britain's Department for International Trade said the agreement maintains access to goods including sugar and fish which are imported from the Pacific countries.

Liam Fox, UK's International Trade Secretary said the deal will help British businesses avoid paying around US$25 million in tariffs on imports. Fox said the agreement is important for their long-standing commitment to reducing poverty through trade. "With the UK importing 28 per cent of Fiji's sugar and a quarter of the population relying on employment in the sugar industry, this will make a real difference to people's lives and livelihoods," Fox said the deal also removes tariffs on goods imported from Fiji and PNG and removes about 80 per cent of tariffs on UK exports to these countries.

The UK and Pacific have a total trade worth about US$486 million a year. The deal is expected to come into effect as soon as the UK leaves the EU.