WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feeling left out in the seemingly various regional trade agreements being forged by ASEAN with different regional trading blocs, American businesses are strongly supporting the US government's move to join in the comprehensive Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement to make inroads in some countries that it feels America can have a significant influence.

Murray Hiebert, senior director of the Asia Department of International Division of the US Chamber of Commerce, told visiting Philippine journalists that the proposed US membership in the Trans-Pacific partnership was announced in September last year and the US was supposed to launch formal negotiations in April this year but talks had to be moved later to consider the trade policy of the new administration of President Barack Obama.

"There are preliminary talks and the hope is to launch the first round of talks in fall this year," Hiebert said.

Once the various stages of negotiations are concluded, the Transpacific partnership would have a total of eight members including Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Peru and the US.

“The Trans-Pacific partnership is being pushed and we are making big noise on this thing because there are various regional trade agreements so the idea was the US was being left out in trading groupings in ASEAN," he said.

Hiebert explained that trade agreements are preferential deals between two parties and if you are not part of it then the US cannot partake in its benefits.

"Our government would like to be in there to negotiate and conduct business and invest that's why we are concerned so we support the FTA of Asian Pacific Countries," he said.

The US, however, is still very much behind the 21-member country Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), but APEC is more of a social club with no binding agreements among its members.

"APEC is still a big deal to us but it is difficult to get to APEC with 21 member countries," Hiebert said. The US is set to host the APEC Leaders' Summit in 2011.

So far, the US has only forged a bilateral FTA with Singapore in ASEAN.

FTA negotiation with Thailand has been frozen since the military coup in 2006 and while Malaysia has expressed interest there have been no new talks in the horizon. The Philippines is not also interested in a full blown FTA with the US.

"Vietnam is the most interesting component here. It is hell and is determined to join the international trading architecture to be able to bring in new investors. Vietnam is an upcoming star in southeast Asia, it is a member of the World Trade Organization and willing to join us," said Hiebert.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement as a vehicle for Trans-Pacific-wide economic integration. This regional agreement sets a high standard that will enhance the competitiveness of the countries that are part of it and help facilitate trade and promote investment between them, increasing their economic growth and development.