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TPP Parties Aim to Lock Down Deal by End of Year, Says Kerry
August 10, 2015 |State Department

The Obama administration is still targeting the remaining months of 2015 to seal a final Trans-Pacific Partnership pact, and TPP negotiating parties are committed to ratifying a deal, said Secretary of State John Kerry in remarks on Aug. 7. Kerry spoke in Hanoi alongside Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, who also serves as the foreign minister. TPP parties failed to lock down a deal in Maui at the end of July (see 1508030024). Kerry said TPP negotiators are still hammering out compromises to unresolved issues. “There is one or so with respect to Vietnam, and I think another couple of countries had some issues which they weren’t able to resolve in the final hours but which I am confident will be resolved in the next days,” he said (here). “And I think we are hoping very much that over the course of the next couple of months, before the end of the year, TPP can be completed.”

State Export Licensing Drops, Processing Time Rises Slightly, Says DDTC in New Analysis
August 5, 2015 |State Department

The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published on Aug. 3 quantitative analysis of licenses received and processed at State over the past year (here). The Obama administration's Export Control Reform, a meticulous and time-consuming process that aims to transfer dual-use items from State to Commerce control, has led to a severe decrease in State licensing, DDTC said in April (see 1504130021). The new analysis shows a general continuance of that trend, but State received and processed slightly more licenses over the past several months. Processing time rose gradually over the past year despite the decrease in licensing. The average processing time in July 2015 registered at 27 days. State processed licenses in July 2014 at an average of 21 days. State will give monthly updates on the licensing trends "in order to provide greater transparency and predictability for US defense firms in planning munitions license submissions," DDTC said.

State Removes TPP Obstacle with Malaysia Upgrade on Trafficking List
July 27, 2015 |State Department

The State Department upgraded Malaysia in its heavily-anticipated annual report on human trafficking, which the agency released on July 27. The 2015 report says Malaysia is a “destination and, to a lesser extent, a source” for human trafficking (here), but State officials still chose to upgrade Malaysia to Tier 2 on the list. “The Government of Malaysia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so,” said the report. “In 2014, the government consulted with civil society stakeholders to draft and propose amendments strengthening the existing anti-trafficking law and addressing concerns raised in previous Trafficking in Persons Reports, including by allowing trafficking victims to move freely and work, and for NGOs to run the facilities.” Lawmakers and human rights advocates have decried the expected move as a politically-motivated effort to close the Trans-Pacific Partnership with all 12 parties (see 1507200004). Senate lawmakers, led by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., tacked language on Trade Promotion Authority, which President Barack Obama signed into law in late June, to bar TPA expedited mechanisms for consideration of free trade agreements with Tier 3 countries. The State upgrade renders that language moot for TPP purposes. Several Democrats lashed into the decision. “The administration’s upgrade of Malaysia in the human trafficking report – without evidence of significant changes on the ground – is extremely concerning,” said House Ways and Means ranking member Sandy Levin, D-Mich. “Instead of paving the way for Malaysia’s participation in TPP, we should be working on actions that Malaysia should be taking to come into compliance with [International Labor Organization] standards.” State typically releases the report in June.