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"Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and I are personally committed to
having this deal signed and sealed by March," Turnbull said
during a speech in Tokyo.
Eleven countries met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit in Vietnam last November to keep alive a Trans Pacific
trade deal after U.S. President Donald Trump in early 2017
announced that the United States was withdrawing in the name of
protecting U.S. jobs.
Ministers from the 11 countries including Japan, Australia and
Canada agreed on core elements to move ahead without the United
States, but demands by countries including Canada for measures
to ensure the deal protects jobs, remain a sticking point to
finalizing the pact.
"Our strong preference is for all 11 countries to join the first
wave but our focus is on bringing a new TPP agreement into force
as soon as possible with those who are ready to move," Turnbull
said.
Chief negotiators will meet in Tokyo next week in hopes of
smoothing out the obstacles to signing the agreement, now known
as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership (CPTPP).
The new agreement will leave a door open for eventual U.S.
participation Turnbull added.
"We are consciously setting it up to enable and encourage the
United States to dock in should it choose to do so in the
future," he said.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry)
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