Instead of waiting for formal collaboration to be put in place by the government, the private sector must be able to drive the processes. "When the TPPA was signed (in Feb 2016) all were excited at the potential opportunities available in each other’s markets,” he said at a seminar on the Pacific Alliance. The Pacific Alliance has invited Malaysia as an observer but that will take time, he added. Jayasiri urged the grouping to use Malaysia as the gateway to the Asean and Asian markets, saying Malaysia has FTAs with most markets including China, India, South Korea and Japan. “Further trade liberalisation across the Pacific (either via a revised TPP or through a trade agreement with the Pacific Alliance), offers significant opportunities.”

Source: New Strait Times November 16, 2017 14:26 UTC