TPP Negotiators Agree to Intensify Talks in March, Exchange New Requests, Discuss Origin
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative states that during the fifth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, which wrapped up on February 18, the negotiators agreed to intensify their work and outlined what USTR believes is an “ambitious” agenda for the next round in Singapore set to begin March 28, 2011.
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(The Obama Administration previously stated it would like to complete the TPP negotiations by November 2011.)
To Cover Suggested Changes to Initial Offers, Product-Specific Rules of Origin
In time for the March talks, the nine1 TPP negotiating countries agreed to exchange lists of requests for improvements in initial tariff offers that were presented in January 2011. They also agreed to exchange initial offers on services and investment and initial offers on government procurement before the next round. In addition, they agreed to exchange proposed product-specific rules of origin in March.
Will Use Single Legal Text Covering “Most” Areas
USTR sources add that “by the March round in Singapore, the parties will be negotiating off of a single legal text that incorporates the different views of all of the TPP countries in most of areas under negotiation. Over the coming months, we will work to find a way through these differences and to reach agreement on the text.”
March Round to Last More Days
The sources also stated that the negotiators have also agreed to extend the length of the next round so negotiators would have more time to make progress in each group.
5th Round Made Progress on Issue Areas, Legal Texts, Trade Facilitation, Etc
USTR states that during the fifth round of talks in February, negotiating groups made progress in the issue areas of market access, investment, rules of origin, intellectual property, customs cooperation labor, services, sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, government procurement, and competition policy.
In addition, further progress was made in developing the agreement’s legal texts, which will spell out the rights and obligations each country will take on and that will cover all aspects of trade and investment relationships. The teams carefully reviewed the text proposals made by each country, ensuring understanding of each other’s proposals so negotiations could advance. With consolidated negotiating texts in most areas, partners began seeking to narrow differences and to consider the interests and concerns of each country.
TPP partners also further developed approaches addressing the new cross-cutting issues that will be incorporated into the agreement, including a proposal for promoting competitiveness and facilitating business; how to promote the participation of small- and medium-sized businesses in international trade; deepening the production and supply chain linkages between TPP countries; enhancing the coherence of the regulatory systems of TPP countries to facilitate trade; and promoting development.
1Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam, and the U.S.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 02/16/11, 02/17/11, 02/18/11 news, 11021623, 11021714, 11021810 and 11021859, for BP summaries of Round 5.)
USTR webpage on TPP available here.