The 10th negotiating round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership was held from 5-9 December 2011 Kuala Lumpur. The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the way forward in light of the recent instructions from the TPP Leaders to redouble their efforts in 2012 to conclude negotiations. 
 
The KL negotiations was a mini round and only selected negotiating Groups met, including Investment, Services, Rules of Origin and Intellectual Property Rights. There were also market access negotiations on goods, agriculture and textiles. Close to 200 participants attended this round.
 
Progress was achieved in all the Working Groups, as negotiators narrowed the differences in the text and market access negotiations.
 
All 20 Working Groups will be developing a detailed work programme, including milestones for progress, inter-sessional activities and other steps needed for concluding work in their respective areas.
 
Plans are underway to hold the 11th round in Australia in March 2012. Prior to that, the Environment, Rules of Origin, and Intellectual Property Rights groups are expected to meet.
 
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade and investment liberalization initiative involving nine countries - Australia; Brunei; Chile; Malaysia; New Zealand; Peru; Singapore; United States; and Viet Nam. The aim of the TPP is the creation of an FTA that will not only enhance trade and investment among the TPP partner countries but also set a new standard for global trade, incorporating next-generation issues to increase the competitiveness of TPP countries in the global economy.
 
In November 2011 during the APEC Summit, the TPP Leaders were presented with the broad outline of the agreement which highlights the shared aspirations and ambitions of the nine parties for this agreement. The broad outline of the agreement is available on the MITI website:www.miti.gov.my