President Barack Obama won¡¯t back off demands that Japan ease barriers for U.S. automakers before joining negotiations for a regional Pacific trade agreement when he meets Friday in Washington with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, White House aides said.
A more open market for companies such as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC remains ¡°an important precondition¡± to Japan¡¯s potential entry into the proposed trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, said Mike Froman, Obama¡¯s deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs.
The partnership ¡°is intended to be a comprehensive, ambitious, high-standard, 21st-century trade agreement,¡± Froman said on a conference call with reporters. ¡°And anybody who joins the TPP would be expected to sign on to that goal.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.