Indonesia Targets 2027 CPTPP Entry as U.K. Backs Bid to Join Pacific Trade Bloc

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Indonesia is accelerating its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), betting that membership in one of the world's largest free trade blocs will unlock new export markets, attract foreign investment, and cement the country's position in regional and global supply chains.

The push comes as the government intensifies efforts to advance its long-term Indonesia Emas 2045 development agenda, which aims to transform Southeast Asia's largest economy into a high-income nation by its centennial year of independence.

Joining the CPTPP would place Indonesia inside a trade bloc representing roughly 15% of global GDP and nearly 600 million consumers. For investors, membership could accelerate regulatory reforms, improve market access, strengthen supply chain integration, and make Indonesia more attractive as a regional manufacturing and investment hub.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia's chief economic policymaker, said the accession process would require only limited adjustments to domestic regulations because many CPTPP provisions are already reflected in agreements Indonesia has adopted through the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and its ongoing accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

"CPTPP is an agreement among economies. Most of its provisions have already been incorporated into international agreements that Indonesia has joined. We only need several regulatory adjustments to meet CPTPP commitments," Airlangga said.

Indonesia's accession gained momentum on June 26, when CPTPP ministers agreed during the bloc's 10th Commission Meeting to begin formal preparation discussions with Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates.

The discussions represent the first major step before the establishment of an Accession Working Group, the formal mechanism that evaluates prospective members seeking full entry into the trade pact.

The CPTPP currently comprises 12 economies, including Japan, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Mexico, making it one of the world's most influential free trade agreements.

Indonesia has also secured consistent backing from the United Kingdom, which joined the CPTPP in late 2024 and has actively supported Jakarta's membership bid.

That support was reinforced through the Indonesia–United Kingdom Economic Growth Partnership (EGP), signed on Jan. 19, 2026, by Airlangga and Peter Kyle, the U.K.'s Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Airlangga described the agreement as a practical framework to deepen bilateral trade and investment while expanding cooperation in strategic sectors, including clean energy, semiconductors, higher education, the digital economy, and workforce development.

The United Kingdom has also pledged technical assistance and policy support for Indonesia's OECD accession process, further strengthening economic ties between the two countries.

Indonesia has already aligned domestic regulations across 22 CPTPP chapters and submitted its aspirant-country questionnaire to New Zealand, the treaty's depository country, in May 2025.

With those preparations advancing, Jakarta remains confident it can secure full CPTPP membership in 2027.

Officials say Indonesia will continue prioritizing accession through the multilateral framework but remains open to negotiating bilateral free trade agreements—including one with the United Kingdom—should the CPTPP process take longer than expected.

Membership is expected to deliver benefits beyond tariff reductions. Businesses would gain access to streamlined customs procedures, modern digital trade rules, stronger investment protections, and harmonized rules of origin that better integrate Indonesia into regional supply chains.

Consumers could also benefit from a broader selection of imported goods at more competitive prices.

The accession process also aligns with President Prabowo Subianto's broader economic agenda of streamlining regulations, reducing bureaucratic barriers, improving the ease of doing business, and boosting the global competitiveness of Indonesia's micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

"Indonesia is not the first ASEAN member to join CPTPP. Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore are already members," Airlangga said. "As ASEAN's largest economy and the region's only G20 member, Indonesia's participation in CPTPP will strengthen its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific."