Officials on both sides intend to send a message in support of free trade, countering U. S. resistance to broad deals.
TOKYO — Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will travel to Brussels on Wednesday for talks on a trade accord with the European Union.
Kishida told reporters that he hoped the two sides could reach a “basic agreement” after failing to bridge differences blocking a proposed Economic Partnership Agreement, or EPA, during last week’s negotiations in Tokyo.
Japan and the EU have been working to reach an accord before a summit of the Group of 20 industrial nations later this week in Hamburg, Germany, and to send a message in support of free trade, countering a U. S. backlash against broad trade pacts.
“Based on the ministerial talks we had on June 30 and July 1, we are currently continuing tough negotiations, ” Kishida said. “Although we cannot be too optimistic about the prospect of the talks, I strongly hope to strike a basic agreement on Japan-EU EPA this time around as I head into the talks.”
Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commissioner for Trade, said Monday that she believes a deal can be reached later this week.
The hope is to announce an agreement when Japan’s prime minister meets EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 industrial nations in Germany.
Japanese officials have said the main sticking points are over ending tariffs on imports of cheese and autos. A deal would require finessing Japan’s protections for its dairy farmers, whose home market is protected by tariffs of up to 40 percent on processed cheese.
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