<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Trans-Pacific Partnership talks collapse after Canada pulls out of trade deal<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98783933/transpacific-partnership-talks-collapse-after-canada-pulls-out-of-the-trade-deal" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/98783933/transpacific-partnership-talks-collapse-after-canada-pulls-out-of-the-trade-deal</a><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Talks to revive the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact have effectively collapsed after Canada pulled out.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">The talks have been postponed indefinitely.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the surprise announcement in Vietnam on Friday night, revealing Canada had not shown up for the talks between the remaining 11 nations in the TPP.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">"It is true that Canada did not attend that meeting and those talks have now been postponed. We have no update on when they are likely to convene," she said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">New Zealand had made good progress on contentious investor-state disputes resolution clauses and preserving market access, she said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">An earlier issue over wording, thought to involve Vietnam, has been resolved.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Ardern said Canada had withdrawn at this point.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">"We walked into a meeting and they were the only one absent."<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Discussions would not continue without Canada, she said.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Ardern said she could not give a clear indication of Canada's final position because they were not at the table to explain it.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">She could not say whether the postponement was for days or weeks or longer and could not say which part of the pact Canada had issues with.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Ardern has a one-on-one meeting scheduled with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the East Asia Summit in Manila, in the Philippines, starting on Sunday, and would take that option up.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">She was also set to meet him at an Apec dinner later on Friday, and on Saturday in Vietnam.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">It's understood Canada, the second largest economy in the TPP since the United States withdrew, had been in bilateral talks with Japan on role difference before Trudeau's no show at the meeting.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker said that on Thursday night it had appeared all Canada's issues had been resolved to its satisfaction.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">"That seemed to change today."<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Parker said other countries in the room, including Australia, were surprised by Canada's non-appearance.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Asked if TPP was now finished and had lost momentum, Ardern said that would be guess work.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">"It's difficult to say what position Canada will take from here. It's a significantly different deal without Canada in it."<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">She said New Zealand had gone into the talks to be constructive and had made some good gain and that it would be disappointing for New Zealand exporters.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">"But we can't control the decisions of other countries. No-one at that table could."</span></div></body></html>