1.1(8) Bilateral, regional and multilateral trade negotiations
Overview
The department supported the Government’s commitment to global trade reform and negotiating trade agreements to improve opportunities for Australian exporters and investors, grow the Australian economy and create jobs. We persistently and effectively advocated Australian interests in bilateral, regional, plurilateral and multilateral trade negotiations and promoted compliance with international trade obligations.
The department’s work for the World Trade Organization (WTO) 9th Ministerial Conference (MC9) was instrumental in delivering the ‘Bali package’. The Bali package included the Agreement on Trade Facilitation—which, when implemented, will be the first new multilateral trade agreement since the 1995 formation of the WTO.
The department pursued innovative approaches to multilateral and plurilateral trade negotiations, particularly the Information Technology Agreement, the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) and the Environmental Goods plurilateral agreement—all central to Australia’s trade interests.
The department led an intensive program of work to finalise bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Australia’s major trading partners in East Asia. We concluded negotiations with Korea in December 2013 and Japan in April 2014.
We sustained strong involvement in two mega-regional trade agreement negotiations—the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Supporting the global Aid for Trade initiative, including through the WTO and the World Bank, remained a priority.
Multilateral trade liberalisation and the WTO Doha Round negotiations
The department worked to achieve a credible package of outcomes from the Doha Round at MC9 in Bali in December 2013, which demonstrated the continued importance and viability of multilateral trade negotiations for trade liberalisation. We participated in intensive negotiations on the package in Geneva, including as leader of the Cairns Group, prior to ministerial consultations.
The Agreement on Trade Facilitation was the centrepiece of the MC9 Bali package and the department secured important provisions that when implemented will benefit Australian exporters. In particular the agreement will reduce trade transaction costs (by at least 10 per cent for Australia). The department committed $6 million over the next three years to the World Bank’s Trade Facilitation Support Program to help developing countries undertake reform consistent with the agreement.
The department’s advocacy also delivered strong outcomes on agriculture at MC9. Ministers reaffirmed the commitment of WTO members to eliminate agricultural export subsidies and agreed to streamline agriculture tariff-rate quota administration. We secured a commitment to enhanced transparency for food security stockpiles and safeguards to ensure such arrangements do not distort trade nor undermine the food security of other countries. The department successfully advocated for the incorporation of the Bali decision on tariff rate quota administration into the work program of the WTO Committee on Agriculture. The committee is considering options to lift levels of trade under tariff quotas of interest to Australia’s agricultural industry.
Hosting MC9 was a major undertaking and the department seconded staff to Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade to assist. We also worked with Indonesian officials in the 38th Cairns Group Ministerial Meeting, co-chaired by Mr Robb and his Indonesian counterpart. The department supported Australian agricultural industry representatives to participate in MC9 and assisted the National Farmers’ Federation President, who chaired a Cairns Group Farm Leaders Meeting in advance of the Cairns Group meeting.
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Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Hamish McCormick (right), with Trade and Investment Minister, Andrew Robb AO (second right), at the Cairns Group Farm Leaders’ Meeting, ahead of MC9, chaired by National Farmers’ Federation President, Brent Finlay (second left), with NFF General Manager Policy, Tony Mahar, Bali, 2 December 2013. [DFAT]
MC9 ministers agreed to develop a clearly defined work program on the remaining Doha Round issues by the end of 2014. The department helped set the direction for the work program and supported Mr Robb at key ministerial meetings aimed at taking it forward (Davos in January and Paris in May). Mr Robb chaired the Paris meeting which provided political guidance to the WTO Director-General to progress negotiations in Geneva. Mr Robb also worked at the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in China in May to rally support for the development of the post-Bali agenda.
The department played an active role in several WTO committees that monitor the trade practices of other members and ensure consistency with WTO rules. These included the Committee on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade, the Council for Trade in Goods, and the Council for Trade in Services. In the Committee on Agriculture we raised concerns about possible unfair trade practices on behalf of Australian agricultural sectors including cotton, wheat, wheat flour, beef, rice, pork, dairy and sugar. We particularly pressed concerns about the compatibility of India and the European Union’s respective export subsidies on sugar with their international trade obligations.
Other multilateral and plurilateral trade policy issues
Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA)
The department managed Australia’s leadership, with the United States and the European Union, of negotiations on TiSA. The department’s efforts are aimed at benefiting Australian service suppliers by locking in current levels of market openness in foreign markets and addressing behind-the-border barriers. Since 2012, participation in the negotiations has expanded from 16 to 23 WTO members which collectively account for around 70 per cent of global services trade. The department participated in five rounds of negotiations, chairing two. The department consulted state and territory governments and industry and community representatives to develop a comprehensive Australian negotiating strategy and the Australian market access offer tabled in December 2013.
Information Technology Agreement
The department pressed to expand the product coverage of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). Under the original ITA, parties agreed to eliminate tariffs on approximately 200 information technology-related products including computers, semi conductors and storage media. Negotiations during the year focused on eliminating tariffs on an expanded product list to include goods for both industrial and consumer use. An expanded ITA will lead to lower costs, increased access to technology and enhanced market access opportunities for Australian industry. The department participated in Geneva negotiating rounds and organised numerous small-group intersessional meetings to help bridge differences and progress negotiations.
Trade and environment
The department, in cooperation with other Australian government agencies, worked in international forums, including the United Nations, WTO and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to further Australia’s trade-related environmental objectives and to address international and domestic environmental challenges. In particular, the department provided support to the OECD Joint Working Party on Trade and Environment in analysing the impact of environment provisions in trade agreements.
The Government announced in January 2014 that Australia would join 13 other WTO members to negotiate a plurilateral agreement to remove tariffs on a range of environmental goods (goods that can be used to improve environmental outcomes, such as equipment for air pollution control, waste and water management and renewable energy). Such an agreement would help reduce costs for Australian industries and provide exporters better market access. Australia’s contribution to the process was recognised by an invitation to chair the first round of negotiations scheduled for July 2014. The department began a business consultation process to assist in determining Australia’s negotiating positions.
The department worked with the Department of Agriculture to maximise the effectiveness of the Government’s Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 with trading partners. The department provided information on Australia’s approach to illegal logging to the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment in June 2014. The department also focused on a number of international standards issues, including carbon footprint labelling.
Intellectual property
The department led intellectual property negotiations in bilateral and plurilateral FTAs and participated in negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the WTO. In all of these negotiations the department coordinated a whole-of-government position and consulted industry and stakeholder groups.
With IP Australia, the department played a central role in securing the re-election, in May 2014, of Australian Dr Francis Gurry for a second six-year term as WIPO Director General through an extensive advocacy campaign in Geneva and the WIPO member countries. Dr Gurry’s unanimous re-appointment reflected his achievements, the agency’s confidence in his capacity to serve the interests of its diverse membership and the effectiveness of the department’s campaign.
The department worked with the Attorney-General’s Department to enable Australia to become an original signatory to the WIPO Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled. The treaty allows the production and distribution of materials, in braille and other formats, for people with a visual impairment by providing copyright exceptions.
We also worked alongside IP Australia to advance discussions on a possible future international instrument to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore, the beneficiaries of which would include indigenous peoples and local communities.
On geographical indications, the department continued to advance Australia’s interests in bilateral and plurilateral forums, in consultation with industry and relevant Commonwealth agencies. Our efforts focused on protecting legitimate geographical indications while at the same time ensuring generic product names continue to be available for producers and exporters.
Compliance and dispute settlement
The department continued work on Australia’s defence of the tobacco plain packaging legislation in the WTO. We participated in dispute settlement consultations with Indonesia on 29 October 2013 after it joined others in challenging Australia’s measure. WTO dispute settlement panels have now been established at the requests of Ukraine (28 September 2012), Honduras (25 September 2013), Indonesia (26 March 2014), and Dominican Republic and Cuba (25 April 2014). A record number of WTO members (41 intotal) have joined those disputes as ‘third parties’ which allows them to make written and oral submissions. The department’s efforts focused on preparatory legal research and defence preparation, as well as increased advocacy to consolidate support for Australia’s approach.
The department also worked with the Attorney-General’s Department in defence of Australia’s plain packaging measure in the investor-state arbitration commenced by Philip Morris Asia under the Australia – Hong Kong bilateral investment treaty. In February 2014 in Toronto, Australia successfully argued before the tribunal appointed to determine the dispute that it should hear Australia’s preliminary objections on jurisdiction before proceeding to any hearing on the merits.
Participation as a third party in WTO disputes allows Australia to make submissions to dispute settlement panels and the WTO Appellate Body on the operation of trade rules in support of Australia’s interests. The department participated in consultations and made submissions in a number of disputes: Indonesia’s import restrictions on horticultural products, animals and animal products; China’s export quotas and duties on rare earths, tungsten and molybdenum; anti-dumping and countervailing measures taken by the United States on certain products from China; and restrictions applied by the United States on sanitary grounds to imports of Argentinian meat.
The department provided advice on the international trade law implications of a range of policy initiatives, including sanitary and phytosanitary measures, government procurement and investment measures, and matters arising in negotiations on multilateral, plurilateral and bilateral trade agreements. The department also managed Australia’s active engagement in the negotiations on the review of the WTO’s dispute settlement system, with the aim of improving and clarifying the WTO’s well regarded dispute settlement procedures.
WTO Accessions
The department was involved in WTO accession negotiations to protect our economic interests and ensure good market access outcomes for Australia from new members. Yemen was accepted as the 160th WTO member in December 2013 and the ratification process was completed in June 2014. There are 23 countries currently negotiating to join the WTO, including nine least-developed countries. We were particularly involved in Kazakhstan’s accession negotiations to protect Australia’s agriculture interests and maintain bilateral market access commitments made before Kazakhstan’s membership of its Customs Union with Belarus and Russia.
Agricultural productivity and food security
The department played a key role in helping developing countries unlock the potential of agriculture to drive growth, create jobs and address poverty. We used our aid program to boost investments in agriculture, fisheries and water (see Aid overview and outlook), complementing our efforts to deliver a more open and efficient global agricultural trading system. We supported the G20-initiated Global Agriculture and Food Security Program and AgResults to address food security issues of importance to our region. We also pursued aid initiatives focused on increasing agricultural productivity, leveraging private-sector innovation and catalysing new investments in partner countries. The department’s focus was on assistance for small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs—particularly women. The department enabled the sharing of world-leading Australian research expertise and technology, in partnership with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, to raise productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and make supply chains more efficient.
The department provided input to the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties about the consistency of Australia’s position on food assistance with our trade policy concern over other countries’ in-kind food aid programs which can displace commercial exports.
World Wine Trade Group
The department worked through the World Wine Trade Group, an informal group comprising Australia, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Georgia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States, to reduce barriers to trade in wine. The department began the coordination process to ratify the treaty-level Protocol to the 2007 World Wine Trade Group Agreement on Requirements for Wine Labelling signed in March 2013. The protocol will allow current Australian wine labelling practices to be accepted by all signatories, reducing the need for Australian wine producers to change labels for different export markets.
Aid for trade
A key objective of Australia’s aid program is to promote increased trade as a driver for poverty reduction and increased living standards through sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Indo–Pacific region. Private sector-led growth is the best way to reduce poverty.
The department’s aid for trade investments help developing countries take advantage of improved market access by addressing constraints to trade such as:
- weak public sector institutions with limited capacity to formulate economic policy and negotiate trade agreements
- cumbersome regulations
- poor infrastructure, including transport and communications
- insufficient private sector capability, due to limited access to finance, weak supply chains and under-skilled workforces.
The department invested an estimated $513.1 million of ODA in aid for trade programs in 2013–14. This included:
- supporting developing countries’ implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation which, if fully implemented, will boost the world economy by an estimated US$1 trillion and generate 21 million jobs, the majority of which will benefit developing countries;
- supporting developing countries’ implementation of the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area;
- assisting Kiribati and Tuvalu join WIPO;
- assisting Samoa join the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property;
- training farmers to improve production and meet international export requirements. For example, this has increased Tongan water melon export volumes from 100 to 280 tonnes, and helped Solomon Islands avert significant loss of fish exports to the European Union worth $46 million; and
- establishing one common cross-border customs procedure in the Mekong region to help reduce processing times for cargo trucks by up to 70 per cent.
The department will increase Australia’s aid for trade investments to 20 per cent of the aid budget by 2020, consistent with the new development policy and performance framework. The target will contribute to and complement WTO, G20 and the UN Development Goals. (See Aid overview and outlook.)
Free trade agreement negotiations
FTAs complement multilateral and plurilateral trade liberalisation, delivering improvements to trade and investment access between two or more trading partners. FTAs become particularly important when a major trading partner offers improved access to one of our competitors, leaving us at a relative disadvantage.
The department devoted increased resources to FTA negotiations. Negotiators consulted frequently with Australian industry representatives and other stakeholders regarding their interests. In several instances, peak body representatives travelled overseas to negotiating venues to consult department officials about the course of negotiations and to provide feedback on developments.
Concluded bilateral negotiations
Korea–Australia Free Trade Agreement
The department led three intersessional meetings on the FTA in late 2013. Mr Robb and his Korean counterpart announced conclusion of negotiations in Bali (in the margins of the WTO MC9) on 5 December 2013.
The Korea–Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) substantially liberalises trade with this major market giving Australian exporters greatly improved market access in goods and services and improved investment protections. KAFTA will deepen bilateral trade and economic links and underpin a strong relationship for years to come.
Following conclusion of negotiations, the department finalised the legal text, oversaw translation of the agreement and developed explanatory materials to communicate the outcomes to stakeholders and the public. The KAFTA text and a range of fact sheets were released on the department’s website on 17 February 2014. Trade ministers signed KAFTA on 8 April 2014 in Seoul, in the presence of the Prime Minister and the Korean President.
Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement
The department drove negotiations on the Japan–Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (JAEPA), which were launched in 2007. From July 2013, the department led eight negotiating sessions in Australia and Japan and supported Mr Robb in further negotiations during his visits to Japan in November 2013 and April 2014. Conclusion of JAEPA was announced by the Prime Minister and his Japanese counterpart on 7 April 2014 in Tokyo.
JAEPA is the most liberalising agreement Japan has concluded. Japan has long been one of Australia’s top economic partners and JAEPA will deliver a significant boost to Australian agricultural producers, resource and manufacturing exporters, service providers and consumers.
Following the conclusion of negotiations, the department finalised the legal text and oversaw translation ready for signature in July 2014.
Key outcomes for Australia from KAFTA
On entry into force (EIF), 84 per cent of Australia’s exports (by value) to Korea will enter duty free, rising to 99.8 per cent on full implementation of the agreement. As part of our commitments, Australia will remove its remaining tariffs on Korean goods on EIF or over several years.
For agriculture, Korea will eliminate tariffs on EIF for raw sugar, wheat, wine, and some horticultural products. Tariffs of up to 550 per cent on most other agricultural products will be eliminated, many within short time frames. Other key outcomes on agriculture include:
- elimination of Korea’s 40 per cent tariff on beef over 15 years; and
- duty free quotas for cheese, butter and infant formula and elimination of high tariffs on many dairy products within three to 20 years.
Tariffs on LNG, titanium dioxide, unwrought aluminium and automotive parts will be eliminated on EIF.
KAFTA will improve opportunities and protections for Australian investors in Korea and will help attract investment from Korea.
- Korea will further open its economy to Australian investors through the progressive reduction of market access barriers in key sectors including: telecommunications, legal services, and accounting and tax agency services.
- Australia will raise the screening threshold for Korean investments in non-sensitive sectors from $248 million to $1078 million. KAFTA provides enhanced protections and certainty for Australian investors with provisions to ensure non-discrimination and allows investors to enforce investment obligations through an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.
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Trade Policy Officer, Lachlan Scully (left), supports Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb AO, and ROK Minister for Trade, Industry and Energy, Mr Yoon Sang-jick, signing KAFTA, watched by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and ROK President Park Geun-hye, Seoul, 8 April 2014. [DFAT]
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The JAEPA negotiating team leaders with Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb AO. Left to right: Ken Gordon, Jennifer Meehan, Deputy Secretary Jan Adams PSM, Mr Robb, Frances Lisson, Simon Farbenbloom and Peter Roberts.
[DFAT/Andrew Taylor]
Key outcomes for Australia from JAEPA
On entry into force, 92.8 per cent of Australia’s exports (by value) to Japan will enter duty free and, on full implementation of the agreement, over 97 per cent will enter duty free or on a preferential basis.
Australia is the first major agriculture and food exporter to unlock Japan’s high import barriers giving many Australian exporters a competitive advantage.
Japan will slash high agriculture tariffs, up to 219 per cent, on a wide range of products including rapid reductions of tariffs on beef, our largest agricultural export to Japan.
JAEPA includes scheduled renegotiation of market access outcomes for key sensitive agricultural products to facilitate future liberalisation, including in circumstances where Japan concludes more favourable deals with our competitors.
JAEPA eliminates tariffs on all Australia’s current minerals, energy and manufacturing exports.
The agreement delivers outcomes for Australian services suppliers which are equal to, or better than, the best commitments Japan has made in its other trade agreements and guarantees access in key areas of commercial interest such as financial, legal, education and telecommunications services.
JAEPA provides enhanced protections and certainty for bilateral investments. Japanese investment in Australia will be boosted by raising the screening thresholds in non-sensitive sectors from $248 million to $1078 million.
Ongoing bilateral negotiations
China Free Trade Agreement
The department continued to lead complex FTA negotiations with China, which commenced in 2005. We facilitated meetings between Mr Robb and his Chinese counterpart during which both sides agreed to work towards completing negotiations by the end of 2014. The department led the (extended) 19th Round of negotiations in Beijing in July 2013, hosted the 20th Round of negotiations in Canberra in May 2014, and conducted a series of intersessional meetings to develop a mutually acceptable package of outcomes.
India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement
The department has led five rounds of negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement since their commencement in 2011. Elections in Australia and India affected the pace of negotiations in 2013–14.
Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
The department hosted the second round of negotiations on the Indonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) in Canberra in July 2013. Discussions focused on the recommendations made to both governments in the Indonesia–Australia Business Partnership Group (IA-BPG) position paper and explored the IA-BPG proposed skills exchange and agricultural cooperation pilot projects.
In November 2013, officials met intersessionally in Indonesia to advance the IA-BPG proposed economic cooperation projects. The Indonesian general and presidential elections in 2014 affected the pace of negotiations.
Ongoing regional negotiations
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Negotiations on the TPP Agreement advanced significantly during the year. Japan’s participation from July 2013 brought the number of negotiating parties to twelve—Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam—which make up almost 40 per cent of global GDP. The department led negotiating teams to six formal meetings and a range of working group and small group meetings.
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The department supported the participation of Mr Robb in a series of ministerial meetings in October and December 2013 and February and May 2014 which drove the momentum of the negotiations. The range of outstanding issues in the TPP was narrowed significantly and several chapters of text were substantively concluded. TPP ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to finalise a comprehensive agreement as soon as possible. The department pressed for greater liberalisation in goods and services market access and contributed ideas to remove road blocks in the negotiations. We conducted outreach and engaged key stakeholders in Australia on the negotiations.
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First Assistant Secretary Office of Trade Negotiations, Chris De Cure OAM (centre), and Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Ward (second right), with representatives from Australia’s beef, grains and sugar industries in the margins of a TPP negotiation round, Ho Chi Minh City, 14 May 2014. [DFAT]
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
The RCEP has the potential to deliver significant opportunities for Australian businesses. The 16 RCEP participating countries (ASEAN member states plus Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand) account for almost half the world’s population, almost 30 per cent of global GDP and over a quarter of world exports.
In September 2013, we hosted the second round of negotiations in Brisbane, including over 300 officials and the ASEAN Secretariat. This was the only round to date where the host country provided significant opportunities for outreach between the negotiators and domestic stakeholders. We held a competition seminar and a stakeholder session to enable lead negotiators to exchange views with Australian business, industry groups and NGOs.
Further negotiating rounds were held in January (Malaysia), April (China), and June (Singapore). Participation in the last round was significant, including 12 negotiating groups with over 500 delegates, reflecting RCEP’s broad coverage and substantive progress towards conclusion.
Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus
The department led Australia’s participation in the PACER Plus negotiations, helping to drive significant progress with respect to goods, services, investment, and legal provisions. (See 1.1(7).)
Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement
On 4 March 2014, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers approved conditional resumption of FTA negotiations, almost five years after the GCC suspended these with all its partners, including Australia. The council has not announced when or with whom it will resume negotiations. Of Australia’s $16.2 billion of two-way merchandise trade with the Middle East and North Africa region in 2013, the GCC accounted for $12.3 billion, an increase of 21 per cent from the previous year. Expanding and broadening commercial ties with the GCC is a key Australian priority and Mr Robb pushed for the prompt resumption of FTA negotiations with Australia during his visit to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in April (see 1.1(6)). An Australia–GCC FTA would enable both partners to benefit from considerable economic and trade complementarities and increasing connectivity between people and businesses, including rapidly expanding air links.
Implementation of existing free trade agreements
Since the Malaysia–Australia Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2013, business utilisation of the agreement has grown steadily. The department worked to progress establishment of an FTA Joint Commission (FJC) to oversee implementation and operation of the agreement.
The department drove the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) implementation agenda. The AANZFTA FJC met in Auckland in May 2014 to advance work on implementation, including in the areas of goods, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, services, investment and competition. The parties finalised the First Protocol to Amend AANZFTA which will address several issues that have hindered business utilisation of the agreement. The Protocol is expected to be signed in August 2014.
AANZFTA’s Economic Cooperation Support Program continues to be a driving force behind AANZFTA implementation, with 46 economic cooperation activities approved by 2013–14 (since May 2010). Department officials delivered capacity building activities in Burma, Cambodia, Laos and New Zealand (for ASEAN member states).
In July 2013 we held the first meeting of the Market Access Implementing Committee under the Thailand–Australia Free Trade Agreement to review the agreement as well as provisions on special agricultural safeguards.
The department transposed the Australia–Chile FTA Harmonised System 2012 tariff schedule and continued implementation of the Australia – United States Free Trade Agreement, including through bilateral discussions with the United States on agriculture market access in May 2014.
In consultation with relevant agencies, the department completed a review of the Australia – New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement Services Protocol.
Outlook
The WTO Bali Ministerial Conference injected political momentum to conclude the Doha Round negotiations. The department will build on the positive outcomes with a view to securing implementation of the decisions of ministers in Bali to drive development of a work program by the end of 2014 and press for conclusion of the Doha Round as soon as possible thereafter, with agriculture a priority.
The department will support the finalisation of negotiations on ITA expansion. We will progress the TiSA negotiations and will play an active role in the Trade in Environmental Goods Agreement negotiations, including chairing the first negotiating round in Geneva in July 2014.
We will facilitate the signing (by Prime Ministers) of JAEPA in July 2014 and will manage domestic treaty processes for both KAFTA and JAEPA to support their early entry into force. Accelerating the tempo of negotiations with China and between the parties to the TPP with a view to concluding these negotiations soon will be a priority. The department will advance bilateral negotiations with India and Indonesia and progress our RCEP and PACER Plus negotiations.
