OTTAWA/TOKYO: Pacific trade talks have reached broad agreement on labour issues and sanitary and phytosanitary standards but some difficult aspects remain to be tackled, Japan’s chief negotiator said on Saturday.
United States President Barack Obama said last month he aimed to have a free-trade draft he could take to meetings with other leaders in November.
Chief Japanese negotiator Koji Tsuruoka said the 12 member nations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) made progress at talks in Ottawa, but there was no discussion about the timing of the overall accord in the regional free trade agreement.
“We came to Ottawa so that we would clarify what issues are left
(after TPP talks in Ottawa) and find out the direction. We achieved the desired goal,” he told a news conference.
But gaps remain to be bridged and further talks are required on issues such as intellectual property, state-owned companies and the environment, he said.
The meeting in Ottawa would be key to advancing the trade pact talks to their final stage by the end of
the year, he had said the previous week.
But Tsuruoka said the countries felt the situation was not yet ripe to set the timing for a ministerial meeting as talks among officials had not made sufficient progress by the end of Saturday’s in Ottawa, which ran about a week.
Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast said last Friday he would not put a timeline on when the TPP talks will conclude.
“We are bringing all of our efforts to bear to bring these negotiations forward in a timely manner,” he said. Reuters
June 2025
Philippine Environment Month!
“Action for Nature, for the Future!”
Invoke Article 33 of the ILO Constitution
against the military junta in Myanmar
to carry out the 2021 ILO Commission of Inquiry recommendations
against serious violations of
Forced Labour and Freedom of Association protocols.
Accept National Unity Government (NUG)
of Myanmar. Reject Military!
#WearMask #WashHands #Distancing #TakePicturesVideosturesVideos
Monthly Observances:
1 Jun – World Day of Parents
5 Jun – World Environment Day
7 Jun – World Food Safety Day
8 Jun – World Oceans Day
12 Jun – World Day Against
Child Labour
15 Jun – World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
16 Jun – International Day of Family Remittances
17 Jun – World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
20 Jun – World Refugee Day
25 Jun – Day of the Seafarer
27 Jun – Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
Daily Observances:
First Saturday of July:
International Cooperative Day
in the Philippines
