Back to Hawaii – Trade Ministers to hunker down for four days to try and make final TPP breakthrough

Trade Ministers from the 12 negotiating countries for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will hold a four day ministerial in Maui from July 28-July 31 to try and get agreement on the thorny issues holding up the resolution of the deal. “The upcoming ministerial provides an important opportunity to build on this progress as we work to conclude the negotiation,” said the formal announcement from US Trade Representative Mike Froman’s office.

TPP trade ministers have been “working continuously” since they last met in May on the fringes of an APEC ministerial meeting in the Philippines. “As a result we have made considerable progress in closing gaps on remaining issues, and we continue to work intensively to address specific issues bilaterally,” the announcement said.

Negotiators – led by chief negotiator David Walker who is also deputy secretary at the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – will swing into Hawaii earlier to line up the key issues for political settlement by the Ministers.

Here’s the statement from United States Trade Representative Mike Frohman’s office. The United States will host a meeting of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Ministers in Maui, Hawaii from July 28-31, preceded by a meeting of TPP Chief Negotiators from July 24-27.  Since they last met in May, Trade Ministers from the twelve TPP countries have been working continuously. As a result, we have made considerable progress in closing gaps on remaining issues, and we continue to work intensively to address specific issues bilaterally.  The upcoming ministerial provides an important opportunity to build on this progress as we work to conclude the negotiation.