Govt likely join TPP trade bloc if regional comprehensive economic partnership stalls | The Jakarta Post
(The Insider Stories) — Indonesia’s government seems to have softened its stance over the initiative for a free-trade pact with the U.S. and other Pacific countries, saying entry into the negotiations would depend on trade agreements with key partners in the region, The Jakarta Post reports.
Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan hinted that Indonesia would possibly join negotiations for the pact, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), once significant progress could be reached in its trade agreement with South Korea and a regional agreement between ASEAN and six partner countries, it says.
ASEAN is scheduled to have talks on the regional comprehensive economic partnership (RCEP) with Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand in May, it says.
The partnership will create a economic bloc of more than 3 billion people with a combined economic output of US$17.23 trillion by 2015.
