TPP May be Imperfect But It’s No Threat to Democracy

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The following are excerpts of an opinion piece posted by writer Kelvin King on March 18th at the website, impactpub.com.au, who says, “Give TPP a chance.  It might not gain ratification – that might swing on whether Donald Trump secures the US presidency – but fighting it with misinformation is against the national interest.”

He adds, “[…] A seemingly-unbiased academic assessment of the short-term benefits showed Australia was not listed among the top regions and NZ was only a little better. But we cannot afford not to be part of the agreement, especially with more Asian countries indicating an intention to become involved. Australia and NZ will prosper not only from trade but through our regional transport and logistics capabilities. And as Asian economies build up sustainable speed we will gain further ground in supply of food and other commodities.

“While China may not join for a while, it seems likely that its giant economy – already intertwined with NZ and Australia through FTAs – will become a signatory eventually.  And as former trade minister Andrew Robb said recently, when combined with the parallel Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which includes China, a strong platform is being built for a unifying set of trade rules in Asia-Pacific.

“TPP got off to a bad start with the general public because of its absolute secrecy, which led to swirling rumours of democratic incursions and personal restrictions.  Unfortunately this is an essential factor of high-level negotiations if an agreement acceptable to all is to be delivered with a reasonable expectation of progressing.”

 

For the full article, go to: http://www.impactpub.com.au/aircargo/AirCargo-archives-issue-241/give-tpp-a-chance-its-imperfect-but-no-threat-to-democracy.html Â