As the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting opens in Vladivostok, Russia, today business organisations from around the APEC region have once again joined together to urge participants in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to complete negotiations as soon as possible in 2013 and to hold to the ambitious aims set for the final agreement.

According to a joint statement, the Asia-Pacific business organisations from New Zealand, Chile, Canada, Peru, Singapore and the US, urge the negotiators to maintain the momentum in the negotiations to achieve the vision of TPP. “While substance will need to drive the negotiating agenda, we urge that all steps be taken to bring the negotiations to a conclusion in early 2013.”

Asia-Pacific business organisations have reaffirmed their view that a successful TPP will be comprehensive, high quality, ambitious “with the elimination of tariffs and non-tariff barriers on trade in goods and services and investment no later than 2020″, innovative, enforceable and a living agreement.

Amongst business leaders at APEC Vladivostok are Erica Crawford of Kim Crawford Wines, Malcolm Bailey of Fonterra and Ian McCrae, Orion Health. Members of the APEC Business Advisory Council also attending the talks are Tony Nowell of Valadenz, Wayne Boyd (Vulcan Steel Ltd), Maxine Simmons (NZBio) and Stephen Jacobi of the NZ-US Business Council who is an alternate member.

“TPP provides a potential pathway for making progress towards the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific,” says Jacobi. “TPP is a complex undertaking but the potential gains to growth and jobs are simply too big to be left on the table.”