Mexico, 11 Pacific Rim Partners Ink TPP in Ceremony Japan Times
go to original February 4, 2016

The Trans-Pacific Partnership consists of 12 nations and together they make up almost 40 per cent of the world’s economy. But not everyone welcomed the pact. (Al Jazeera English)

Twelve Pacific Rim countries representing around 40 percent of the world economy signed a free trade deal Thursday in a ceremony in Auckland, New Zealand.

Canada, the United States, Mexico and nine other countries agreed to remove or lower tariffs and introduce unified international trade and investment rules under the Trans-Pacific Partnership accord agreed on last October.

The agreement will enter into force 60 days after all 12 countries ratify it in two years. After two years pass, it will take effect 60 days after at least six countries, accounting for 85 percent of the combined gross domestic product of the 12 signatories, do so.

Under the circumstances of political and legal situations of the countries, it is expected to be in 2018 or later that the deal will enter into force.

The 12 countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.

Read the rest at Japan Times

Related: 4 Reasons to Reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership (Greenpeace)

Related: TPP 'Fundamentally Flawed,' Should be Resisted: UN Expert (Business Standard)

Related: Economists Can't Agree on Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Benefits (AFR.com)

Related: Pacific Grim: How the Controversial TPP Signed Away Your Digital Rights (CNet)

Related: The Trans Pacific Partnership – A Corporate Bill of Rights (teleSUR)

Related: There’s Still Time to Stop the TPP from Cutting Off the Critical Lifeline of Affordable Generic Medicines (Médecins Sans Frontières)

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