Long lists of demands for TPP revisions put forward

August 30, 2017

SYDNEY- Some of 11 signatory countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have put forward long lists of demands for revisions to the free trade pact, sources close to their talks said.

These demands may become a stumbling block to the efforts of the 11 countries to reach an agreement on a revised TPP after the United States pulled out of the pact in January.

During a meeting of chief TPP negotiators from the 11 countries that began in Sydney Monday, some countries claimed that all items included in the deal because of strong requests by the United States should be frozen or revised. Others insisted that revisions should be limited to a minimum.

Their demands for revisions to the TPP apparently covered not only trade rules, such as on intellectual property protection, but also tariffs that could create conflicts of interest among the countries.

If any revision to tariffs and import quotas is accepted, discussions could spin out of control as there are many stakeholders involved.

The countries need to narrow down the lists of items for revisions while maintaining the levels of trade liberalization under the current TPP in order to reach a board agreement on a revised TPP at a meeting of their leaders in Vietnam in November.

"Very good progress was made," Kazuhisa Shibuya, Japanese chief domestic coordinator for the TPP told reporters after the chief negotiators' second-day meeting on Tuesday. Their talks are scheduled to end on Wednesday. Jiji Press