Asia-Pacific trade talks set to resume Feb. 22

High-level talks over an Asia-Pacific trade deal will pick up again later this month in Singapore.

Ministers of the 12 nations who are working to hammer out an agreement will meet Feb. 22-25 to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), several of the countries announced Tuesday.

{mosads}New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade posted notice of media registration on its website. 

Chief negotiators will meet ahead of those talks from Feb. 17-21, also in Singapore.

The nations missed a year-end deadline to wrap up work on the complex agreement but are aiming to push to complete a deal soon, possibly this spring when President Obama is set to travel around the Pacific Rim.  

Still, there are many sensitive issues that remain incomplete, including intellectual property protections and tariff issues on many agricultural products. 

Besides the United States and Singapore, the TPP involves Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Mexico, Chile and Peru.

The countries last met in December in Singapore.