The three-day official visit by United States President Barack Obama to Malaysia is only to further discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) and not to conclude it during the period, said the International Trade and Industry Ministry.

Speaking to Bernama , its secretary-general Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria said there is no way for Malaysia and the US to conclude the TPPA because it is not a bilateral agreement and President Obama is just representing one country.

“It would be more than just the TPPA as we’re going to talk about Malaysia-US bilateral trade as well as industry, education, security and so many other issues,” she said on the sidelines of the Malaysian Association for the Blind’s Contact Centre graduation day in Kuala Lumpur today.

She said Obama’s visit, which would see some business-to-business arrangements, would definitely tighten relations between the two nations.

This will be the first official visit by a US president to Malaysia since former president Lyndon Johnson’s visit in 1966.

The TPPA is a trade agreement to manage trade, promote growth and regionally integrate the economies of the Asia Pacific region.

- Bernama