U.S. trade czar confident of 2016 Congress vote on TPP

By Manolo Serapio Jr

MANILA (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said on Thursday he expected Congress to vote on a 12-nation Pacific Rim free-trade deal early next year.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which aims to liberalize trade for 40 percent of the global economy, must be ratified by U.S. Congress but opposition from many Democrats and some Republicans could mean a vote is unlikely before President Barack Obama leaves office.

"We can get it done as early as we can next year," Froman told Reuters on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in Manila.

Froman said the Obama administration would consult with lawmakers "to find the best window to move this forward but we have to get it done as quickly as possible."

Obama last week urged Congress to "move promptly" early next year to approve the trade deal, in line with his target to have it passed before the November 2016 presidential elections.

While many U.S. farm lobby groups have supported TPP, business groups are still reviewing the details. Other member countries are doing the same.

Canada's new Liberal government is reviewing a C$4.3 billion ($3.2 billion) package designed to compensate farmers for losses they might incur under TPP, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Wednesday.

Froman said the intention is for the pact to be "open for other members to join if they're able and willing to meet the standards."

"Our focus right now is getting it ratified and implemented by the 12," he said.

China, which is not part of TPP, is pushing to begin talks on another trade pact, called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and wants to speed up talks on free trade agreements with Japan and South Korea.

Obama and the other leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group are in Manila for a summit this week, hoping to break down more trade barriers in the region.

(Editing by John Chalmers and Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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