Issues Mount as Negotiators Gather to Wrap Up Trans-Pacific Trade Pact Jonathan Weisman - The New York Times
go to original July 28, 2015

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Explained (AJ+)

The top trade negotiators of the United States and 11 other Pacific nations are gathering this week at a luxury resort in Maui for one last push to complete the largest regional trade accord in history, roping together 40 percent of the world’s economic output.

But even though it is billed as the “final round” of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, trade representatives from the United States, Japan and Pacific nations from Canada and Chile to Australia and Vietnam have high hurdles to clear.

Australia and New Zealand are resisting American rules on access for pharmaceutical companies to their national health systems. Vietnam, Mexico and Brunei have far to go to comply with international standards on labor organizing. Canada is so reluctant to open its agricultural market to competition that it might drop out of the talks altogether.

And just Monday, the State Department’s decision to upgrade its rating of Malaysia’s efforts to combat human trafficking caused an uproar among labor and human rights activists, who accused the administration of a political maneuver to ease Malaysia’s inclusion in the Pacific accord at the expense of wage and sex slaves.

Given the challenges, the prospect of concluding a deal by Friday — the goal of the Maui conference — is far from certain.

Read the rest at The New York Times

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!