TPP Partners to Convene at APEC, but No Expectation for Final Pact, Says US Official
U.S. officials will join their Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) counterparts for a number of bilateral discussions and a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing in the coming days, said a senior U.S. trade official during a Nov. 5 conference call with reporters. The Obama administration does not expect, however, to reach a final TPP agreement with the other parties in the pact, said the senior official, who asked to stay anonymous. Administration officials are also not scheduled to meet formally with Japanese Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Akira Amari. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman met on official terms with Amari in Washington, D.C. in September, but the summit failed to yield progress on outstanding U.S.-Japanese disagreements in TPP (see 14092514).
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APEC officials aim to address a broad range of matters at the summit, including electric vehicle standards, supply chain efficiency and APEC environmental goods liberalization, said the senior U.S. trade official, who added the Obama administration is hopeful about Informational Technology Agreement progress. ITA supporters are ramping up pressure toward brokering a deal on the agreement’s expansion, although the U.S. and China have continued to bicker over concessions (see 1411050010). APEC ministers will meet in Beijing from Nov. 7-8, and the leaders will convene from Nov. 10-11, while other meetings are held over the course of the summit (here).