The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (P4) was signed in Wellington on 18 July 2005 by Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, at a ceremony in the New Zealand Parliament. Brunei signed there on 2 August. Article 20.3: open for signature by the four states for six months from 15 June. Depositary: the Government of New Zealand. Article 20.10: English and Spanish texts equally authentic; English prevails in case of divergence. It is not the 2016 TPP, nor the 2018 CPTPP.

Article 1.1: it establishes a Trans-Pacific strategic partnership on common interest, covering commercial, economic, financial, scientific, technological and cooperation fields, in support of APEC liberalisation. Trade objectives: eliminating barriers, fair competition, investment, intellectual-property protection and a dispute-settlement mechanism — at framework level, without tariff lists.

The agreement includes chapters on goods, origin, trade remedies, sanitary measures, technical barriers, services, intellectual property, government procurement and competition policy. Articles 20.1–20.2 provide for later negotiations on investment and financial-services chapters. The same package included a binding Environment Cooperation Agreement and a Labour Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, separate instruments.

Article 20.4: ratification, acceptance or approval; if two instruments were deposited by 1 January 2006, the agreement would enter into force then; otherwise, 30 days after the second. New Zealand and Singapore deposited in April; the depositary records entry into force between them on 1 May 2006, and for Chile on 8 November 2006. Article 20.5: provisional application for Brunei, with exceptions for procurement and services; the depositary records 29 July 2009.

Article 20.6: accession is open to APEC economies or other states on agreed terms. Article 20.8: withdrawal takes effect after six months. Cover: the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington, the ceremony venue; we do not claim the hall. Wikimedia Commons, free licence.

Sources consulted: Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement; Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement.