KUALA LUMPUR, June 9 ― The Trans Pacific Partnership agreement (TPPA) is expected to come into effect earliest in February 2018, the International Trade and Industry Ministry said.

The ministry’s senior principal assistant director for strategic negotiations Wan Wadrina Wan Abdul Wahab said Putrajaya is working “very hard” to ratify the trade agreement.

“We are busy trying to ratify it, we expect the agreement to come into force earliest by February 2018,” she told a Bar Council consultation session on the Labour Chapter of the TPPA here today.

She also admitted that a “several” amendments need to be made to Malaysian laws in order to accommodate the agreement when it comes in effect.

Wan Wadrina also stressed that the agreement would help Malaysia put in place better mechanisms to curb corruption.

“When it comes to government giving out contracts, we have to make sure certain disciplines are already in place,” she said.

After seven years of negotiations, the TPPA was inked on February 4 after Parliament debated and passed the TPPA paper during a special Parliament sitting in January.

The TPPA, which aims to improve trade, job opportunities and enhance environmental protection among others has 12 member countries, namely the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Japan, Brunei, Vietnam and Singapore apart from Malaysia.