Down to the wire: Nations trying to bridge gaps in fifth day of trade talks

Down to the wire: Nations trying to bridge gaps in fifth day of trade talks

ATLANTA — Still divided on the thorny issues of pharmaceuticals and dairy products, trade ministers from the 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership head into the fifth day of negotiations here on Sunday striving to forge a sweeping trade accord.

     Ministerial meetings were initially scheduled for two days but have already gone on for four. The U.S.,  which is chairing the sessions, proposed a 24-hour extension on Saturday. Chief negotiators will get together on Sunday morning and trade ministers are expected to meet as early as noon.

     The trade ministers talked for only about half an hour on Saturday evening. After the session, Akira Amari, Japan’s economic and fiscal policy minister, told reporters that differences remain on the issue of pharmaceuticals, which has turned out to be the hardest to resolve.

     Amari told his counterparts that talks are in the final stages, so they need to stop playing games and negotiate in good faith or an agreement will not be reached. After the meeting, negotiators worked late into the night to try to iron out differences.

     The U.S. and Australia have been arguing over the protection period for data related to the development of new pharmaceuticals. The two sides are trying to find common ground, including the language that will be included in the TPP treaty. Washington had initially insisted on 12 years of data exclusivity but has since lowered its proposal to eight. Canberra, which has called for five years, now looks receptive to a total protection period of effectively eight years, with an extra three years deemed as necessary for regulatory approval. Meanwhile, emerging economies Chile, Peru and Malaysia are pushing for a five-year cap on data exclusivity.

Down to the wire: Nations trying to bridge gaps in fifth day of trade talks