The 12 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks will begin small-group discussions to accelerate negotiations on tariff issues, according to negotiation sources.
Countries seeking to protect tariffs on sensitive farm goods, such as Canada, Japan and the United States, will likely begin talks in the same grouping, while those calling for abolition of all tariffs in principle, such as Singapore, New Zealand and Chile, will be grouped together, the sources said Thursday.
The U.S.-led TPP aims at scrapping all tariffs in principle as it seeks to create one of the world's largest free trade zones.