Why did the Canadian Prime Minister cancel the TPP meeting at the last minute?
Negotiations on the sidelines of the APEC Summit Week in Da Nang to salvage the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement could not take place as planned after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not attend the meeting.
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| Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo: Reuters |
Reuters reported that the meeting between leaders of the 11 TPP countries was scheduled to take place at 1:45 p.m., but was forced to cancel at the last minute because Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not attend.
This incident once again shows the obstacle to the TPP negotiations, although Japan previously said that TPP ministers had reached an agreement in principle to save the agreement after the US withdrawal.
It is not yet clear why Prime Minister Trudeau was absent from the meeting, but this seems to have been predicted.
Speaking yesterday during a visit to Ton Duc Thang University in Ho Chi Minh City, Prime Minister Trudeau said: “We are not going to sign an agreement just because we feel pressured to sign it. We have to make sure that it is the right deal for Canada, the right deal for the world.”
“We are not going to rush, so we will need more time and closely monitor the negotiations,” the head of the Canadian government stressed.
Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also denied reports that ministers had reached an agreement in principle on the TPP.
One of the reasons Canada needs more time is because the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has yet to have a clear outcome, Global News quoted an anonymous Canadian official as saying.
Meanwhile, according to this official, Canada wants to change some provisions of the TPP, or even exceptional provisions, additional negotiation documents to ensure benefits for Canada.
Canada is the second largest economy among the 11 countries negotiating the TPP, behind only Japan. Like Mexico, Canada is still stuck in the NAFTA renegotiation.
The TPP originally included 12 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. The TPP was negotiated under former US President Barack Obama. The TPP aimed to eliminate trade barriers and promote economic relations between member countries, which account for 40% of global GDP. However, Mr. Obama's successor, US President Donald Trump, immediately after taking office signed an executive order withdrawing the US from the TPP in early 2017. After the US withdrew from the TPP, the remaining 11 members agreed to continue negotiations on how to maintain the TPP. |
According to Dan Tri
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