AlHijjah 19, 1432, Nov 15, 2011, SPA - Canada and Mexico on Monday said they want to join talks to forge a free trade area in the Asia-Pacific region, strengthening the U.S.-led initiative to promote economic growth by breaking trade barriers. Japan, the world's third-largest economy, said earlier it would like to join the talks. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he was encouraged to take part by U.S. President Barack Obama. “We looked at the outline of the criteria set by the partnership and they are all criteria that Canada can easily meet. So it is something we are interested in moving forward on,” Harper said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of 21 nations in Hawaii. A Mexican official told Reuters his government would ask to join the talks. The proposed Transpacific Partnership Pact (TPP) now includes nine countries-the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Chile, and Peru-that have committed to what they call a “high-standard” trade agreement. The TPP must approve new applicants. Their goal is to complete a detailed framework in 2012 and adding new members could slow the timetable.
