Trade pact deadline in doubt as talks start in Singapore

Published on Dec 07, 2013 6:02 AM

SINGAPORE (AFP) - Trade ministers from the United States and 11 other countries will open talks in Singapore on Saturday in an attempt to meet a US deadline to forge a trans-Pacific trade pact before the end of the year.

However, analysts said an agreement on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was unlikely to be reached during the four-day meeting, owing to differences on key issues such as intellectual property protection.

The TPP is being negotiated by 12 nations - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam - that together make up 40 per cent of the global economy.

Washington has spearheaded the secretive talks, which have been denounced by non-government groups for their alleged lack of transparency.

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