Jakarta: Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo has rejected assertions that the Trans-Pacific Partnership has collapsed, saying the incoming Trump administration needed more time to consider the pros and cons of the giant regional trade deal.
US President-elect Donald Trump made opposing the TPP a central plank of his populist election campaign, describing it during a speech as "another disaster done and pushed by special interests who want to rape our country".
Last month, White House officials conceded the deal, which would have phased out thousands of tariffs, would not pass Congress before the transfer of power on January 20.
But when asked in Jakarta what impact the collapse of the TPP had on negotiations of a free-trade deal between Indonesia and Australia, Mr Ciobo said he rejected the assertion it had collapsed.
"We are only nine months into a 24-month process," he said. "I think we need to give the Americans time to consider the pros and cons of the TPP."
The TPP, which would open services markets and remove barriers to investment, has been signed by each of the member countries - Australia, the US, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Vietnam - but ratified by none.
Members were waiting for a decision from the US because the rules require ratification by members accounting for 85 per cent of the agreement's gross domestic product, meaning it can't come into force without the US, as the other members combined have only 43 per cent.
Mr Ciobo said Australia was continuing to move forward with its "domestic processes" on the TPP, with the joint standing committee on treaties last month recommending its ratification.
"New Zealand is moving forward, Japan is moving forward, so there is still a lot of goodwill among signatories of the TPP so we will just have to see what happens in the fullness of time with respect to that," he said.
Mr Ciobo is in Jakarta for several days to advance negotiations on a free-trade agreement between Indonesia and Australia.
Both countries are optimistic the deal, known as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, will be concluded next year.
"Australia's ambition is for a much stronger trade and investment relationship between our two countries that's more reflective of the relative economic standing of each country," he said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is supportive of a free-trade deal with Australia but has also urged Indonesians to work harder to overcome the country's need for food imports, suggesting that many agricultural products will be exempt from any deal.
Mr Ciobo would not be drawn on possible exemptions, saying only that discussions were "really cordial" and "there is a high level of goodwill on both sides".
"We want a comprehensive and ambitious trade agreement with Indonesia," he said.
He implied services such as education and tourism would be central to the deal.
"I would describe Australia's and Indonesia's economies as complementary. Take education for example - Australia has a very good, high-quality tertiary education sector, internationally recognised, and Indonesia has a strong desire to build capacity among their labour force. This provides a great opportunity to see investment in Indonesia by Australian education providers."
