Singapore, Singapore - In an address to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit this morning in Singapore, United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk commented on President Barack Obama's announcement that the United States will engage with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Following is an excerpt from Ambassador Kirk's remarks, as prepared:
"[J]ust this morning in Tokyo, President Obama announced that the United States will engage with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This will be done in close consultation with the United States Congress and with stakeholders at home. We will seek with current and future TPP nations to shape a platform with the scope, coverage, and standards to successfully integrate the Asia-Pacific economies.
"As the Office of the United States Trade Representative approaches this effort, we recognize that American workers, farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, and service providers face different challenges today than they have in the past. Therefore, further engagement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership gives us the opportunity to address gaps in our current agreements, and to set the standard for 21st-century trade agreements going forward.
"A high-standard regional trade agreement under the TPP could help bring home to the American people the jobs and economic prosperity that are the promise of trade."
