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Commonwealth’s economic momentum grows

The 56-member group can advance trade liberalisation by building on existing Asia-Pacific and African agreements

    • Visitors in New Delhi. India has lately picked up the pace of liberalising trade, striking deals with the UK and New Zealand.
    • Visitors in New Delhi. India has lately picked up the pace of liberalising trade, striking deals with the UK and New Zealand. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
    Published Wed, May 20, 2026 · 07:00 AM

    A SIGNIFICANT range of business memorandums of understanding were sealed at the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Summit hosted in the City of London in April 2026.

    However, momentum is growing for a much bigger economic prize for the 56-member organisation – an ambition that holds substantial strategic value for key Asean nations including Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei.

    The potential larger business ambition on the horizon is a pan-Commonwealth trade liberalisation deal. This would build from the wide range of bilateral and plurilateral economic agreements currently in place between member nations.