Aquino stresses anew PHL intention to join Trans-Pacific Partnership

President Benigno Aquino III reiterated the Philippines' intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed international trade agreement initiated by the US.

"We think we really want to participate in it ," Aquino said during an interview arranged as part of the Forbes Global CEO Conference 2015 on Wednesday.

The TPP talks currently involve 12 countries—Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, US, Vietnam, Chile, Brunei, Singapore and New Zealand—and are aimed at facilitating free trade among countries along the Pacific Rim.

The Philippines was invited to participate in the second batch of countries signing up for the partnership, Aquino said.

The president noted that the Philippines already trades with many of the first 12 parties included in the TPP talks.

"So, joining TPP does make very good sense to us, especially because of those who are already in it; who we find ourselves in very close alliances with in so many different fronts—Japan comes to mind, Vietnam comes to mind, and other countries," he said. — BM, GMA News