KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 8 — The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will be signed in February, with or without Malaysia’s participation, says International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.
“We expect the signing to take place in February and we will table it in the Dewan Rakyat on Jan 27 and Dewan Negara on Jan 28 for voting,” he told reporters after hosting a townhall session with small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs) here today.
Earlier, it was announced that New Zealand, one of 12 members of the TPPA, was expected to host the signing of the landmark deal. The TPPA countries make up almost 40 per cent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product and a third of global trade.
Mustapa said Malaysia’s focus would not shift away from Asean, the Middle East and Europe should Malaysia decide to join the TPPA. Meanwhile, Mustapa said the government was prepared to consult the SME community and gather their inputs on how to enhance their capabilities and competitiveness.
He said the existing SME Masterplan 2020 would be amended to follow the developments of the TPPA.
“After the Chinese New Year holidays, we will gather the SMEs and draw a programme to strengthen their fundamentals,” he said. In the townhall session, Mustapa said the TPPA would continue with or without Malaysia’s participation and businesses should embrace change as change would present new business opportunities.
“For example, the telecommunication sector went through a major change when handphones hit the market and resulted in a decline in landline telephone usage. “It also brought in new businesses such as the sale of prepaid top-ups and handphone service centres,” he said. — Bernama
