ID :
159197
Mon, 02/07/2011 - 18:23
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Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/159197
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Japan, Australia hold bilateral FTA talks for 1st time in 10 months
TOKYO, Feb. 7 Kyodo - Japan and Australia on Monday started their latest round of bilateral free trade negotiations for the first time in 10 months, a process that will likely test Tokyo's seriousness about its recent commitment to promote free trade.
The course of talks could also affect Japan's decision regarding whether to join negotiations for a regional free trade initiative involving Australia and the United States, as the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership is believed to be pursuing a higher level of trade liberalization than seen in bilateral FTAs.
The focal point of the Japan-Australia FTA negotiations, which started in 2007, will be how far Japan makes concessions to the major agricultural exporter on tariffs on sensitive products such as beef and dairy products. The latest round will end Thursday.
''It would be quite a difficult negotiation, but we hope to make progress so that both sides can benefit,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a press conference Monday.
While vowing to accelerate ongoing bilateral free trade negotiations with other countries, the Japanese government is considering joining the TPP talks, which would require members in principle to reduce all tariffs to zero.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said his government will decide on whether to join the TPP negotiations around June, but there is strong opposition from farmers who fear they could be hit hard by an influx of cheap agricultural imports.
In both the TPP negotiations and the Japan-Australia FTA negotiations, Japan will face the question of whether it can drastically open up its agricultural market.
Japan has so far excluded sensitive agricultural items such as rice and wheat from tariff elimination in FTAs signed with other economies.
In the negotiations with Australia, Japan is seeking to remove Australia's tariff on cars, while Australia is urging Japan to abolish tariffs on beef, wheat, dairy products and sugar.
Japan imposes tariffs of 38.5 percent on beef imports and 252 percent on wheat imports.
But it is uncertain to what degree Japan will make concessions, with farm minister Michihiko Kano saying earlier that the government would continue to engage in negotiations ''by taking heed of sensitive items.''
Participants in the 12th round of negotiations included Shinichi Nishimiya, Japanese deputy foreign minister, and Jan Adams, Australia's first assistant secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Department.
The previous round was held in Canberra last April.
The TPP negotiations, which have been built on a regional free trade agreement that took effect in 2006 among Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, are under way between the four nations and five other countries -- Australia, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam and the United States.
The nine countries are hoping to conclude the negotiations in November.
The course of talks could also affect Japan's decision regarding whether to join negotiations for a regional free trade initiative involving Australia and the United States, as the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership is believed to be pursuing a higher level of trade liberalization than seen in bilateral FTAs.
The focal point of the Japan-Australia FTA negotiations, which started in 2007, will be how far Japan makes concessions to the major agricultural exporter on tariffs on sensitive products such as beef and dairy products. The latest round will end Thursday.
''It would be quite a difficult negotiation, but we hope to make progress so that both sides can benefit,'' Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a press conference Monday.
While vowing to accelerate ongoing bilateral free trade negotiations with other countries, the Japanese government is considering joining the TPP talks, which would require members in principle to reduce all tariffs to zero.
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said his government will decide on whether to join the TPP negotiations around June, but there is strong opposition from farmers who fear they could be hit hard by an influx of cheap agricultural imports.
In both the TPP negotiations and the Japan-Australia FTA negotiations, Japan will face the question of whether it can drastically open up its agricultural market.
Japan has so far excluded sensitive agricultural items such as rice and wheat from tariff elimination in FTAs signed with other economies.
In the negotiations with Australia, Japan is seeking to remove Australia's tariff on cars, while Australia is urging Japan to abolish tariffs on beef, wheat, dairy products and sugar.
Japan imposes tariffs of 38.5 percent on beef imports and 252 percent on wheat imports.
But it is uncertain to what degree Japan will make concessions, with farm minister Michihiko Kano saying earlier that the government would continue to engage in negotiations ''by taking heed of sensitive items.''
Participants in the 12th round of negotiations included Shinichi Nishimiya, Japanese deputy foreign minister, and Jan Adams, Australia's first assistant secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Trade Department.
The previous round was held in Canberra last April.
The TPP negotiations, which have been built on a regional free trade agreement that took effect in 2006 among Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, are under way between the four nations and five other countries -- Australia, Malaysia, Peru, Vietnam and the United States.
The nine countries are hoping to conclude the negotiations in November.
