The thirteenth round of negotiations for the proposed
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement came to a close on 10 July, with
reports of “progress” in various negotiating areas; however, trade observers note that time is running short for members to
meet their current year-end goal for concluding the talks. Meanwhile, Canada
and Mexico continue to await their formal entry into the discussions, as the
current nine members undertake the required domestic legal steps for bringing
in new parties.
The 2-10 July talks, held in the US state of California,
saw “substantial progress across the chapters,” according
to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). Specifically, negotiators
were able to advance significantly in areas such as customs, cross-border
services, telecommunications, government procurement, competition policy, and
co-operation and capacity-building.
Other areas that reportedly saw movement during the San
Diego gathering included discussions on rules of origin, investment, financial
services, and temporary entry. Market liberalisation
in the area of services, as well as for industrial goods, agriculture, and
textiles, were also under discussion during the nine-day meeting.
However, unlike the previous round of negotiations - held
in the US state of Texas in May - no negotiating areas were formally announced
as complete. During the Dallas talks, the negotiating group for small and
medium-sized enterprises finished its discussions, leaving what officials
called “the really tough issues.”
TPP members have said that they hope to have a deal ready
by the end of 2012, though analysts have noted that this goal might be hard to
achieve given the range of difficult issues involved in the talks, such as
intellectual property rights and state-owned enterprises.
However, recent comments from US government officials
have indicated that the goal still stands, with US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton telling
reporters in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday that TPP members “hope to finalise this agreement by the end of this year.”
The proposed trade pact - billed as a “21st century deal”
by its proponents - aims to slash tariffs and other barriers to goods and
services trade and investment; the goods covered will represent some 11,000
tariff lines. Negotiators also plan to incorporate into the pact issues
involving regulatory coherence; competitiveness and business facilitation;
small- and medium-sized enterprises; and economic development and governance,
according to an outline released last November.