Hanoi (VNA) – The prime ministers ofAustralia and Japan committed to having the Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) signed by March.
The commitment was made during talks betweenAustralian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Japanese counterpart ShinzoAbe in Tokyo on January 18.
The trade pact replaces the Trans-Pacific Partnership(TPP) agreement after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the TPP inJanuary 2017.
In his speech following the talks, Turnbull said: "Our strong preference is for all 11 countries to join the first wave butour focus is on bringing a new TPP agreement into force as soon as possible with those who are ready tomove."
"We are consciously setting it up to enable andencourage the United States to dock in should it choose to do so in the future,"he added.
Eleven countries met at the APEC Economic Leaders’Week in Da Nang city of Vietnam in November 2017 to keep alive the deal after theUS withdrew.
Negotiators will meet in Tokyo next week in the hopeof smoothing out obstacles to the CPTPP.-VNA
VNA