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AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION
OTTAWA

MEDIA RELEASE

AUSTRALIA TO HOST FIRST ROUND OF TRANS PACIFIC FREE TRADE TALKS

16 November 2009

The Australian Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, has welcomed the comments from President Obama and United States Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, that the US will participate in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) free trade negotiations.

The US announcement will enable the TPP negotiation - comprising Australia, Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the US and Vietnam – to move forward.

Australia will host the first negotiating round of the TPP in early 2010.
Mr Crean noted that the eight participating countries would be aiming to achieve a modern 21st century trade agreement, and the TPP had the potential to become a building block towards a free trade area spanning the entire Asia Pacific region.

He also said that the TPP negotiation will be conducted in a way that supports both our APEC objectives and the WTO, noting that it was not a replacement for concluding the Doha Round of negotiations.

Mr Crean said that the intention is that the agreement will expand to include other countries willing to sign up to the principles of high ambition and comprehensiveness.