TPP - Singapore2014

Beef groups from the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand last week issued a joint statement expressing fears that a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal may not eliminate all tariffs on beef, in a move industry representatives said was partly driven by comments made by TPP ministers during their May 19-20 meeting suggesting that a deal would fall short of that goal. "The alliance is concerned that TPP members have not been able to craft a tariff-eliminating deal for beef,...

SINGAPORE -- New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser this week signaled that his government may be open to a final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal that does not eliminate tariffs on all agricultural goods, provided that those parties seeking to shelter certain tariff lines can still promise to deliver a "high-quality result" overall. Groser, in May 19 comments to reporters on the sidelines of a TPP ministers' meeting here, would not say whether he felt that Japan has sufficiently made that...

SINGAPORE -- Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo said here this week that Mexico, the United States and Vietnam are nearing a deal on the textiles and apparel provisions of a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. "I think that the U.S., Mexico and Vietnam are moving along simultaneously, and I think that we are very close [to an agreement]," Guajardo told reporters on May 20 on the sidelines of a TPP ministerial meeting. Guajardo did not elaborate, but his comments could suggest...

SINGAPORE -- Trade ministers from Canada, Vietnam and Brunei skipped a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial meeting held here this week, and Mexico's minister arrived half-way through the session, which was held over the span of roughly 36 hours and concluded ahead of schedule. Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast missed the TPP ministerial meeting due to a long-planned trade mission to China, his press secretary, Shannon Gutoskie, said in a May 16 statement emailed to Inside U.S. Trade . Ministers from...

SINGAPORE -- U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman this week offered clear signals that the United States is now focused on achieving substantively improved agricultural market access in Japan, but recognizes it is not realistic to expect the elimination of all Japanese tariffs on farm goods under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). "We are working to press for tariff elimination to the maximum extent possible, and to ensure that the final package achieves early, ongoing, improved and meaningful market access, and I...

SINGAPORE -- U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman this week said the U.S. and China made "progress" toward reviving stalled talks to expand the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) at a meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers, but signaled that the effort had so far failed to yield a breakthrough. "The United States came to China with new ideas for how to press the negotiations forward, and throughout the weekend, we heard from many other APEC economies about their desire...

SINGAPORE -- Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministers wrapped up a two-day ministerial meeting here this week claiming that they had "cemented" their views on what is needed to finalize a TPP deal and charted a "pathway" forward, but did not point to any concrete evidence for the progress they claimed. In a joint statement, participants said they had focused "in particular on making meaningful progress on market access and also advanced outstanding rules issues in an effort to narrow our remaining...

The key outcome of President Obama's visit to Japan last month that U.S. officials have touted as a "breakthrough" in bilateral trade talks consisted of the United States dropping its demand that Japan eliminate all tariffs on beef and pork under a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, according to informed sources. President Obama personally delivered the message to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the U.S. would not insist on tariff elimination for these two sensitive products in TPP, sources said...