U.S., Philippine Officials Discuss Ag Trade, IPR in Bilateral Meeting
The Philippines is making significant strides towards improving intellectual property rights protection and labor conditions as part of the U.S.-Philippine Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) following a bilateral meeting on the…
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agreement. The officials at the meeting, including assistant USTR Barbara Weisel, also discussed bilateral rice and meat trade, according to USTR. The Philippine restrictions on rice imports may violate World Trade Organization agreements, according to local media (here). The U.S. is interested in permitting the restrictions to continue, in exchange for meat market access concessions, according to the local media report. The two sides also discussed Philippine accession to the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during the meeting, said USTR. The Office of the USTR did not respond for comment.