Froman claims progress on TPP, but issues no details
February 25, 2014 | 09:26 AM
Michael Froman
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman told reporters in a call from Singapore early today that the 12 ministers meeting there on the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement had made progress in their four-day meeting, but he gave no details on what that that progress might entail.
He and the ministers from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam “just completed a very good Trans Pacific Partnership meeting,” Froman said in a call in which the audio was often difficult to hear.
He added that the ministers had “identified potential landing zones” and that “the remaining issues are more narrowly defined.”
When asked about reports that the United States had threatened to leave Japan out of the agreement, Froman said, “All the TPP parties made clear their expectations for a high standard ambitious agreement. All the countries around the table are focused on getting that deal done.”
He added that the countries still have market issues with each other.
Agriculture remains “a significant issue” between the United States and Japan, he said, adding that he was personally engaged in meetings with Japan on agriculture issues and that the U.S. and Japanese teams are working to resolve them.
When asked whether a statement by Agriculture Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse Monday that the United States had put sugar on the table applied to Australia and Canada, Froman said that he and president Barack Obama have said they want a high standard, ambitious, comprehensive agreement but realize that each country has “sensitivities.”
U.S. officials have said previously they did not intend to reopen the sugar issue with Australia because the United States and Australia already have a free trade agreement that excludes sugar.
Froman said there had been progress in Singapore on state-owned enterprises, investment and services, telecommunications and certain sanitary and phytosanitary issues. He did not discuss any scheduling or future meetings or what the level of progress means for President Barack Obama’s scheduled trip to Asia in April.
The ministers are considering holding their next talks in May, which would coincide with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum planned for May 17-18 in Tsingtao, China, The Japan Times reported today.
Japan and the United States held their second bilateral meeting on the sidelines of a plenary session on Monday, but ended up merely acknowledging that they are still far apart over whether Japan can retain tariffs on key farm products, including rice and beef, as well as over the phase-out period of U.S. auto duties, The Japan Times added.
The BBC said the ministers had failed to reach agreement over market access, and Bloomberg Businessweek said the issue was Japan’s insistence on protecting its farmers.
In a formal statement, the negotiators from the 12 countries said they had “just completed a four-day Ministerial meeting in Singapore where we made further strides toward a final agreement.”
“We have agreed on the majority of the landing zones identified at our last meeting,” they added.
“While some issues remain, we have charted a path forward to resolve them in the context of a comprehensive and balanced outcome. Through extensive bilateral meetings, we have also made progress on market access, which is an important part of our remaining work, and we will continue working toward completion of an ambitious package across all market access areas.”
