Vietnam to join TPP negotiations in Singapore
(VOV) - Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang will lead the delegation representing Vietnam at the Ministerial Meeting on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement negotiations in Singapore from December 7–12.
Ministers will have to consider and strive for agreement on outstanding issues related to goods exchange, intellectual property, the environment, labour, and State-owned enterprises.
Tran Quoc Khanh, the head of Vietnam’s TPP negotiation delegation, believes goods-related disagreements are the most pressing facing ministers ahead of the Singapore meeting.
Progress on goods exchange negotiations will provide positive momentum for consensus on other matters.
Successfully concluding TPP negotiations later this year demands commitment from all 12 TPP participants—Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the Philippines, the US, and Vietnam.
The TPP group would become one of the world’s biggest trade areas upon its establishment, representing more than 792 million people, nearly 40 percent of global GDP, and one third of global trade.
The TPP also includes plans for staggered expansions aimed at deepening international economic integration towards an eventual Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP).