According to its new strategy, Japan has already reached an agreement (called the Economic Partnership Agreement) with Australia, which includes a deal on the tariff to be imposed on beef imported from Australia. Besides, Japan plans to accelerate its tariff negotiations with New Zealand on dairy products, with Mexico on pork, with Malaysia on plywood and with Vietnam on rice. If Japan succeeds in signing agreements with these countries, it could force the US to make concessions in the TPP negotiations.
But whether Japan and the US can reach an agreement this year is still uncertain because the two sides are yet to sort out their differences on a number of issues. For Obama, handicapped as he is without the Trade Promotion Authority, it is quite difficult to succeed in this round of TPP negotiations. And for the Abe administration, it wouldn't make sense to make concessions on tariffs because it could pay a heavy political price - losing the support of the agriculture sector - at home for that.
With the US and Japan both adopting a tough approach, it seems that their TPP negotiations will be tougher.
The author is a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce.
(China Daily 04/24/2014 page9)
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