[CTC] U.S. absent from TPP meeting in Chile; ministers to meet again at APEC

[Arthur Stamoulis]

INSIDE US TRADE
U.S. absent from TPP meeting in Chile; ministers to meet again at APEC

March 15, 2017 
VINA DEL MAR, CHILE -- The United States did not attend a working breakfast meeting for Trans-Pacific Partnership countries on Wednesday, despite being invited, according to officials here.

A joint statement <https://insidetrade.com/sites/insidetrade.com/files/documents/mar2017/wto2017_0081.pdf> issued after the breakfast also did not include mention of the United States, but did state that high-level representatives from the other 11 TPP countries met on the margins of the High Level Dialogue on Integration Initiatives for the Asia Pacific – and plan on meeting again on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers meeting scheduled for May 20-21 in Vietnam. In the interim, trade officials from those countries will prepare for ministers to meet again there.

“The high-level representatives exchanged views on their respective domestic processes regarding TPP and canvassed views on a way forward that would advance economic integration in the Asia Pacific,” the joint statement reads.

They also “reiterated their firm commitment to collaborate in keeping markets open and to the free flow of goods, services and investment, advancing regional economic integration, and strengthening the rules-based international trading system, noting our concern with protectionism in many parts of the world,” it continues.

But they did so without a U.S. representative in the room. Carol Perez, the U.S. ambassador to Chile, was picked to attend; congressional staffers have also been meeting with foreign officials in Vina del Mar <https://insidetrade.com/node/157931>. But Perez did not attend the Wednesday breakfast.

Sources here have told Inside U.S. Trade that delegations from TPP countries, when meeting with representatives from the U.S., have lamented President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from TPP.

As for TPP, the officials “recalled the balanced outcomes and the strategic and economic significance” of the deal, the statement adds, “highlighting its principles and high standards as a key driver for regional economic integration and promoter of economic growth, competition, innovation and productivity, with the potential of generating jobs and lowering costs for consumers.”

Mexico’s foreign minister Luis Videgaray on Tuesday said that standards and rules negotiated in TPP could be integrated into other bilateral and regional trade arrangements. Meanwhile, the Pacific Alliance -- a trade bloc made up of Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Peru – announced that it would accept “associate members <https://insidetrade.com/node/157935>” and look to identify countries that it could strike high-standard trade deals with in the short term. – Jack Caporal (jcaporal at iwpnews.com <mailto:jcaporal at iwpnews.com>)


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