TPP: MALAYSIA CONFIDENT OF MEETING TIMELINE

WASHINGTON, June 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is confident of meeting the
timeline to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)agreement by this
November, as it has not faced much problems in negotiations, said Deputy Prime
Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

"Malaysia's position is that we can meet the timeline. There is degree of
confidence over negotiations by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry
(MITI) but member countries might have some concerns in certain areas," he told
Malaysian journalists covering his four-day working visit to Washington.

He said the latest report from MITI, which is involved in the TPP
negotiations with the participating economies, indicated that there had been
marked progress in negotiations.

Apart from Malaysia, the countries involved in the TPP talks are Australia,
Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

The TPP is a multilateral free trade agreement that aims to integrate the
economies of the Asia-Pacific region.

He said there are indications that participating economies would be able to
achieve the November target despite areas that still required continued
negotiations, especially on the issues of labour, environment and intellectual
property.

Muhyiddin said in Malaysia's case, the Cabinet had given MITI the greenlight
to negotiate on issues that had been raised previously, like government
procurement.

"Basically, it is a progression from what it used to be before when we
negotiated for the FTAs. There is some reservation as to whether the aspect of
government procurement can be opened up for negotiations," he added.

He said the participating economies would continue their next round
of talks in the United States.
-- BERNAMA