Meeting of Trade Ministers from Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Countries at APEC Ministerial

Office of the United States Trade Representative | September 6, 2012

Trade Ministers from Trans-Pasific (TPP) Countries.

Trade Ministers from the countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)—Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam— met September 6th in Vladivostok, Russia on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting.

Representing United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk at the meeting was Deputy United States Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis. The Ministers reviewed progress made over 13 rounds of negotiations and instructed negotiators to redouble their efforts in advance of the 14th round of negotiations in Leesburg, Virginia on September 6-15. The Ministers also agreed on a Ministers' Report to Leaders, updating Leaders from the nine TPP countries on the progress the negotiations have made since they met in Honolulu last November. The report will be provided to TPP Leaders while they are in Vladivostok on September 8-9 and will be released at that time.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Ministers were joined by the Trade Ministers of Mexico and Canada, which will both join the TPP negotiations next month once the current TPP members successfully conclude their respective domestic procedures.