U.S. pushing to conclude TPP negotiations this year

A senior U.S. government official has stressed that concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal is Washington's most important Asia-Pacific policy goal this year.
In a statement submitted to a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday,... Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs said failing to wrap up the twelve-nation deal this year would be a major setback for the U.S.
He added that the TPP could help East Asia and the Pacific for the century to come... if it is sorted out soon,... noting China's rapid rise in power and influence.
Russel's remarks come as the Obama administration has faced stiffening resistance in the Senate to "fast-tracking" legislation related to the TPP.