Obama requests Trans-Pacific Partnership meet with Asean leaders
US President Barack Obama has requested for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) meeting with some of the Asean leaders attending the Asean Summit and Related Summits here.
The meeting to be in Phnom Penh today is expected to explore ways and exchange views on how to conclude the TPP negotiations.
Officials said the special meeting was requested by the White House before Obama's re-election.
However, only half of the TPP countries are attending the meeting as Canada, Mexico and Peru are not involved in the series of the Summits involving Asean and its dialogue partners here.
Asean members involved in the TPP are Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam and non Asean are Australia and New Zealand.
The TPP is a free trade agreement that aims to further liberalise the economies of the Asia-Pacific region.
Obama during the last TPP leaders meeting in Honolulu last year had hoped that by the middle of this year, substantive elements would be in place.
The Star
