Today the United States and negotiating partners Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam launched Round 5 of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement in Santiago, Chile.
Jorge Bunster, Chile`s Director General of International Economic Relations, welcomed the delegations from the TPP countries and encouraged negotiators to continue the progress achieved in previous rounds and strive to significantly advance the negotiations in Chile. The United States joined the TPP negotiations in late 2009 with the goal of a broad, 21st-century regional trade agreement that addresses the issues American businesses and workers face today, and gives them better access to the growing markets of the Asia-Pacific.
Negotiators started the week with meetings on market access for goods, telecommunications, customs cooperation, financial services, technical barriers to trade, legal and institutional issues, and environment. In addition, TPP countries continued discussions on new cross-cutting themes that will feature in the TPP Agreement, such as helping small and medium-sized enterprises participate more actively in international trade, promoting connectivity and deepening linkages to the emerging production and distribution networks in the Asia-Pacific; and making the regulatory approaches of TPP countries more compatible so U.S. companies can operate more seamlessly in TPP markets.
Over the coming week, negotiators will meet on the full range of issues to be included in the TPP and will engage with the more than 60 public and private sector stakeholders attending the negotiations.
