Pacific Trade Talks End Without Pact on Market Access Issues
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Ministers negotiating a U.S.-led trade pact to link countries around the Pacific failed to resolve questions on market access during talks in Singapore, centered around Japan’s protection of its farmers.
“Market access is in some aspects the heart and soul of any trade agreement so until that’s done, we don’t have an agreement,” New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser told reporters after four days of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. “We’re still working on the meat and potatoes here, which is what trade access is about.”