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CPTPP increases pressure to begin negotiations with Japan

Ted McKinney, Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs in the USDA

With the CPTPP agreement—the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement—now in effect, there is increased pressure on the U.S. to negotiate a bilateral trade agreement with Japan.

USDA undersecretary for trade Ted McKinney says Japan is a top priority in 2019.

“You can’t put enough importance on Japan. In fact, we’ve talked about the ‘trifecta’, as I’m saying it: USMCA has got to get settled; we’ve got to get China right; and Japan is also in that critical, critical mix,” he says.

CPTPP gives key U.S. ag export competitors, particularly Canada and Australia, lower tariffs on products sold to Japan. That’s a big concern, McKinney says.

“Japan is a terrific market for us and we do not want to cede that—see others steal that.”

McKinney says as long as the negotiations don’t drag on for several months, U.S. agriculture “should be okay”.

“But we cannot get that done fast enough—and I think we can begin in January,” he says. “Right now we’re in that 90-day period where Congress has the opportunity to weigh in and see what it’s about and share their comments—and then negotiation can begin early next year.”

McKinney made those comments in an interview with Brownfield at the Farmer2Farmer conference in Omaha in mid-December.

AUDIO: Ted McKinney

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