New Zealand's chief delegate said the talks had brought new TPP members, Canada and Mexico, into the process and made progress on the language and mechanisms of any deal, as well as clearly identified what needs to be done on the difficult issues such as intellectual property, environment and investment. "There is considerable amount of work to do," David Walker told a media briefing, adding there was a common desire among the 11 nations to reach a deal next year.
There is no formal deadline for an agreement, but October next year is being targeted to coincide with the annual summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec). The next round of talks will be held in early March in Singapore. The major roadblocks to a final deal were not detailed, but the sensitive issue of pharmaceuticals, where the United States wants to see greater patent protection for its drug companies was not discussed. Critics said the TPP was still aimed at benefiting large US corporations.
Separately, the US Trade Representative Ron Kirk acknowledged the TPP talks had a long way to go before reaching a deal, although he was confident it could be done next year. "I think we can get it closed," he said at a policy think tank gathering in Washington.