TPP - HoChiMinh2014

The next Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) chief negotiators' meeting has been tentatively scheduled for July 3-12 in Vancouver, Canada, according to informed sources. The dates and location have not been formally announced. Some sources said the talks will start a day earlier, on July 2. Negotiating groups are likely to meet throughout the full span of the round, with chief negotiators meeting on the last five days, according to one source. This source said the meeting will take place at the...

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD) said this week that he is urging the administration to negotiate a Vietnam labor action plan in the context of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that would require Hanoi to reach specific benchmarks in order to take advantage of the economic benefits of the trade deal. In a June 4 interview with Inside U.S. Trade following a trip to Vietnam last week, Cardin said that to receive trade benefits, Vietnam "should be required to reach certain milestones...

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Malaysia's textile and apparel industry is supporting U.S. calls for a "yarn-forward" rule of origin in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), but is also pushing for a range of exceptions such as cut-and-sew allowances and a short supply list that would be periodically reviewed, according to an industry official. Andrew Hong, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Textile Manufacturers Association (MTMA), said in a May 14 interview here that his group generally supports the yarn-forward...

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- The South Korean government has sent two working-level officials here this week to hold bilateral consultations with Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) participants about Korea's potential entry into TPP, even as Seoul continues to weigh whether to make a formal request to join, according to informed sources. South Korea in November of last year publicly announced its interest in participating in TPP, and Korean officials have subsequently floated the idea that this could still happen in...

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) chief negotiators discussed the most vexing issues here this week, including market access in terms of tariffs, investment, services and government procurement, but showed little sign of substantive progress, according to sources here. Sources briefed on the discussions said not much progress had been made in any particular area, and said talks largely revolved around certain technical issues instead of dealing with the outstanding politically sensitive questions. Some sources saw this...

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) chief negotiators were set to wrap up nearly a week of talks here yesterday (May 15) without having seen substantially deeper engagement from Japan in agricultural market access talks, according to informed sources. Though Japan has held bilateral meetings here with other TPP countries, it does not appear to be substantively engaging in a discussion about tariff reduction or elimination for sensitive agriculture products, sources said. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman...

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam -- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries here have been exploring an approach to intellectual property (IP) protections for pharmaceuticals that would establish a single set of obligations for all participants, but allow them to be phased in over time for low-income, developing countries. Several sources said earlier in the week that this idea, while not a formal proposal, was floated by the United States, as reported by Inside U.S. Trade. Other sources have since said...

Expectations are decidedly low for what will come out of the meeting next week in Ho Chi Minh City between the chief negotiators of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries. By and large, sources following the talks anticipate next week will be characterized by the other 10 members feeling out how just much progress has been made between Japan and the United States, and whether that is enough to warrant them moving on their own sensitive issues. The prevailing uncertainty regarding...