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Speaking after a two-day meeting in Singapore,
the ministers said recent bilateral talks between the United
States and Japan helped breathe life into the stalled talks for
the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact.
"I would say there is almost a sense of urgency about capturing
that momentum and holding it and using it to get ourselves a lot
further down the line in the next few weeks," Australian Trade
Minister Andrew Robb told a press conference following the
meeting.
The original aim of the TPP was to abolish all tariffs between
member countries. But it hasn't been possible to reach an
agreement on doing so, as the idea faces opposition,
particularly in Japan.
While governments were keen to stress the progress made at this
week's meeting, it is unclear whether a deal can be clinched
before U.S. congressional elections in November.
Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed said after the
Singapore meeting, "There has been some progress. Of course it
is not entirely satisfactory. We have some way to go on market
access issues."
The ministers said they had asked their chief negotiators to
meet again in July.
Japan's economy minister, Akira Amari, said in Singapore on
Monday that Tokyo has told Pacific trading partners it will not
abolish tariffs in the five agricultural sectors it considers
sacred, which include rice, dairy products and beef and pork.
Long-running differences over tariffs between the U.S. and Japan
remain, though the two governments said some progress was made
at a summit in Tokyo last month.
Both U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe have made finalizing the TPP key planks of their
economic policies.
(Reporting by Rachel Armstrong and Masayuki Kitano; Editing by
Richard Borsuk)
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