United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk met with Australian Trade Minister Craig Emerson today in Geneva, Switzerland, on the margins of the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference. During the meeting, Ambassador Kirk expressed appreciation to Minister Emerson for Australia's commitment to a strong WTO and its constructive approach to the Doha Round of world trade negotiations, and for Australia’s leadership in fighting protectionist measures in global trade.
Ambassador Kirk and Minister Emerson also discussed next steps with regard to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a nine-country trade negotiation to which both the United States and Australia are parties, and in which the Leaders of the TPP countries announced last month the achievement of broad outlines of an agreement. The United States and other TPP partners are seeking to make as much progress as possible toward concluding the agreement in 2012.
