Brunei, U.S. to improve commercial ties

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 27 -- Brunei and the United States are poised to improve commercial ties as talks begin next year on the expansion of a trans-Pacific trade deal and prospects of direct flights between the two countries emerge, The Brunei Times reported on Sunday.

The two countries are entering an especially exciting time as they end 2009 and enter 2010, and there is a wealth of business opportunities that Brunei and the United States can benefit from, said Darussalam William E Todd, the U.S. Ambassador to Brunei.

"From the acquisition of new aircraft to expanded travel routes to the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations, we see that commercial ties between the United States and Brunei are poised to reach new mutually beneficial level," he said.

He said that the TPP negotiations is expected to start in the spring of 2010, which would focus on ensuring mutually beneficial agreement to promote free trade, upholding legal standards and ensuring a commitment to core values in the area of labor, intellectual property rights and consumer safety.

Todd mentioned that U.S. President Barack Obama voiced American's intention to join the free trade deal in the Singapore APEC Summit in November.

TPP, effective on May 28 2006, is proposed to be expanded from the original members, Brunei, Chile, Singapore and New Zealand, to include the United States, Australia, Peru and Vietnam, said the newspaper.