KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 (Bernama) -- The government is expected to conclude its final Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) by the end of June this year, says International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

He said a few outstanding issues need to be resolved and talks on the proposed regulatory and investment treaty are still ongoing to ensure it is in Malaysia's favour.

"We are going to execute the final CBA study in the near term, collaborating with an international firm, on whether the TPPA is beneficial for the country or otherwise," he told reporters after the ministry's session with Heads of Foreign Missions here today.

He said the CBA revolves around four issues, starting with the TPPA's impact on the nation, including the country's sovereignty and whether it would affect the weightage in delivering the government's policies.

The second is the TPPA's impact on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), followed by repercussions on Bumiputeras, while the fourth issue looks at the repercussions if the country chose not to participate in the TPPA, Mustapa said.

"Therefore we need a commendable firm that has not only international linkages but also experts in broad issues in order to give inputs for the government to make a sound decision whether it's beneficial in joining the TPPA," he said.

An interim CBA was carried out earlier by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).