ATLANTA – The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) ministerial underway here will be extended at least through Friday (Oct. 2), as Mexico continues to take a hard line on the automotive rules of origin and significant gaps remain on dairy market access and the monopoly period for biologic drugs.
[ October 1, 2015 | Inside U.S. Trade ]
Mexican Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo told reporters on Wednesday (Sept. 30) that the aim is to conclude the TPP negotiations before ministers leave here, but that negotiators are still “far away from that.” Guajardo’s office said in a Sept. 30 press release that the ministerial would last through Oct. 2.
A source close to the negotiations said the auto talks are at a point where there is one country with a “couple of issues,” and strongly signaled that this country is Mexico.
Another source involved in the negotiations put the chances of reaching a deal here at 50-50, citing difficulties on autos and the term of intellectual property (IP) protection for biologic drugs.
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