SURABAYA, Indonesia — April 20, 2013 — The trade ministers of the 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) countries — which include Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States, and Vietnam — met on the margins of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade to chart a path forward on
the remaining issues that will enable them to conclude the negotiations on a 2013 time frame as
instructed by TPP Leaders. They also discussed the status of their discussions with Japan on
its interest in joining the TPP.
As the negotiating teams prepare for the next round in Lima, Peru, set for May 15-24,
ministers agreed on next steps to advance the TPP talks in a range of areas. They directed
negotiators to complete their work on some chapters and to accelerate progress on more challenging
issues that remain including intellectual property, competition/State-owned enterprises, and
environment, as well as on the market access packages for goods,services/investment, and government
procurement. Ministers committed to intensifying their own engagement over the coming months
to work out solutions to outstanding sensitive issues and to achieve the TPP Leaders’ objective of
a high-quality, ambitious, and comprehensive agreement this year.
Ministers also confirmed that each TPP member has concluded bilateral consultations with
Japan regarding Japan’s interest in joining the TPP. Today, Ministers agreed by consensus to
finalize with Japan the process for entry in a manner that allows the negotiations to continue
expeditiously toward conclusion – as was done with other members that joined the negotiations in
progress. Japan can then join the TPP negotiations upon completion of current members’
respective domestic processes.
With Japan’s entry, TPP countries would account for nearly 40 percent of global GDP and about
one-third of all world trade. TPP Ministers noted that Japan’s participation in the
negotiation will underscore the economic significance of TPP and its promise as a pathway toward a
Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific.
Posted on April 23, 2013
Source: USTR
