Mexico backs Japan’s bid to join Trans-Pacific trade talks

Reuters, 4/8/13

Mexico on Monday gave its support to Japan’s bid to join trade talks in the Asia-Pacific region that would create the world’s largest free trade zone. Japan asked to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in March and is awaiting a formal decision by the 11 current participating countries, which could come as early as this month.

“We express our sympathy, support and backing for the interest that Japan has shown in participating in the TPP,” Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. If Japan, the world’s third-largest economy, joins the TPP, the free trade zone would cover nearly 40 percent of world economic output.

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CRS Report: Mexico’s Free Trade Agreements

M. Angeles Villareal, 07/03/ 2012

On June 18, 2012, President Barack Obama announced that an invitation was extended to Mexico to join the ongoing negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed free trade agreement involving the United States and eight other countries. Canada was also invited to join the negotiations.

Mexico’s pursuit of FTAs with other countries not only provides economic benefits, but could also potentially reduce its economic dependence on the United States.

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Stalemate in the inclusion of members in transpacific alliance [In Spanish]

El Economista, 6/5/2012

The United States and eight other countries that are negotiating a treaty for free commerce in the Asia Pacific region are still undecided about an offer made almost seven months ago by Japan, Canada and Mexico to join these conversations.

This information comes from the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that also assured that “once again, the ministers thanked the interest of Canada, Japan and Mexico to join the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership).” According to this information release, the ministers spoke about the progress of bilateral consultations of each member country with Canada, Japan and Mexico, respectively.

“Decisions on the admittance of these candidates into the TPP have not been made,” declared the USTR in an information release signed in Russia and added that consultations will surely continue.

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Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Talks Advance in Texas

Office of the United States Trade Representative, 5/16/12

The United States said today that TPP partners – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam – made better-than-expected progress at the twelfth round of negotiations that formally concluded today outside Dallas, Texas.

U.S. negotiators have reported to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the progress achieved during this round has further narrowed differences in the text and the teams can now see a clear path forward toward conclusion of most of the more than 20 chapters of the agreement. A few TPP negotiating groups will continue to meet in Texas for the remainder of this week.

The TPP agreement is an important element of the Obama Administration’s efforts to support the creation and retention of high-quality jobs for Americans by increasing exports to the vibrant economies of the Asia-Pacific region. The United States and its eight partners are determined to expeditiously complete a comprehensive, next-generation agreement. During this eleven-day negotiating round, the teams focused heavily on making as much progress as possible on the texts of the agreement.

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Op-ed: Mexico’s secretary of economy: We deserve a seat at trade table

The Dallas Morning News, Bruno Ferrari, 5/4/12

While governments and the public have been concentrating on challenges to global financial recovery, a historic economic alliance has been budding in meetings held around the world. The alliance is called the TPP, for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an ambitious accord to promote a significant expansion of trade among Pacific nations, and this week Dallas hosts the 12th round of TPP negotiations.

What exactly is the TPP? It is composed of nine nations — the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia , New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Their aim is to create a free-trade zone that not only eliminates tariff and nontariff barriers to goods and services but also develops regional supply chains to speed the production, sale and movement of goods, coordinates regulatory regimes, helps small- and medium-sized firms export more, and ensures state-owned enterprises compete fairly with private companies.

The TPP negotiations are the most important trade talks in the world, and the TPP accession process requires consensus. The United States should take the lead to give Mexico a seat at the table.

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Mexico Says U.S. Stalling on Adding Nation to Pacific Trade Deal

Bloomberg-Businessweek, 4/23/12

Mexico’s Economy Minister expressed frustration over what he said was the Obama administration’s delay in adding the nation to Pacific trade talks.

Mexico’s entry to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a sweeping deal that seeks to boost trade links between the Americas and Asia, is already supported by the private sector in all nine countries involved in the talks, Economy Minister Bruno Ferrari said in an interview. Mexico is closer to winning approval than Japan and Canada, who are also seeking to join negotiations, Ferrari said. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk met with officials from Mexico and Canada this month in Washington during a visit by Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The three nations are already bound together by the North American Free Trade Agreement that took effect in 1994. Standing beside his Nafta partners in the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama said the Pacific deal’s current partners are discussing how new members can meet the accord’s standards.

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NAFTA Partners Deserve Quick Entry into TPP Talks

Kezia McKeague, Americas Quarterly , 4/4/12

Assembled in the White House Rose Garden for a joint press conference on Monday, the “three amigos” of North America projected an image of trilateral comity in keeping with the depth of their countries’ relationships.

Yet Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper departed the one-day North American Leaders’ Summit without a firm commitment from U.S. President Barack Obama on their request to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Buried in the penultimate line of the lengthy joint statement was a coy response: “The United States welcomes Canada’s and Mexico’s interest in joining the TPP as ambitious partners.”

As President Obama acknowledged in the Rose Garden, TPP’s high-standards approach “could be a real model for the world.” Indeed, the goal of the original four TPP members—Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore—was to create a uniquely comprehensive agreement to which like-minded countries on both sides of the Pacific could accede, thus linking Asia and the Americas.

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Mexico presses for quick entry in Trans-Pacific talks

Chicago Tribune, 4/2/12

Mexican President Felipe Calderon, set to leave office this year, pressed on Monday for a swift decision on his country’s bid to join free-trade talks with the United States and eight other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Mexico “would like to join forces as soon as possible to the TPP, or the Trans-Pacific Partnership, because we know that Mexicans can contribute to a quick and successful conclusion of this process,” Calderon said at a news conference with President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Mexico, Canada and Japan all have expressed interest in November in joining U.S-led talks on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership pact. Washington says the agreement would tear down trade barriers and toughen trade rules in the world’s fastest-growing region.

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Op-ed: Let Mexico in on trade agreement

Politico, 3/6/12

Since 2007, Mexican President Felipe Calderon has expressed our country’s interest in joining negotiations to create what is known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a new trade agreement linking nations throughout the Pacific region.

The countries involved in these talks are creating a groundbreaking agreement with the highest of standards. As the United States, and the eight other TPP partners, considers new entrants to this pact, it should do so with the same forward-thinking approach that has governed the talks so far.

For example, the United States must consider the steady growth of its exports to Mexico, which is, dollar for dollar, the most dynamic U.S. export market. It is the second-largest U.S. export destination, consuming nearly $200 billion in U.S. goods last year — more than China and Japan combined. In addition, last year’s $34 billion increase in U.S. exports to Mexico outpaced the value increase to all the priority export markets for the U.S.’s National Export Initiative.

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