TPP talks likely to wrap up soon, says US envoy

[SINGAPORE] Having practised law for 20 years, Kirk Wagar knows how tough it can be just to finalise an agreement between two parties.

So it comes as no surprise to the United States ambassador to Singapore that the talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are taking longer to complete than many people had expected, given that 12 countries are at the negotiating table.

The TPP, which involves Singapore, the US and 10 other Pacific Rim nations, is billed as the world's largest free trade agreement, one that will cover 40 per cent of global gross domestic product and nearly a third of world exports.