TPP: Not Only Agricultural And Auto Products, "Irrational Demands" And More
From The Financial Times:
The biggest hold-up remains the inability of the US and Japan to conclude their increasingly tense bilateral negotiations over agricultural and auto products. But big gaps still remain on issues such as intellectual property and in the labour and environmental chapters of the TPP, say negotiators.
“The mood of the negotiators going to Canberra and then on to Sydney is not necessarily very optimistic,” says one Japanese official. “We don’t have any indication that the US will back down on a number of irrational demands they are making.”
Financial Times: US trade agenda hinges on midterm elections
The biggest hold-up remains the inability of the US and Japan to conclude their increasingly tense bilateral negotiations over agricultural and auto products. But big gaps still remain on issues such as intellectual property and in the labour and environmental chapters of the TPP, say negotiators.
“The mood of the negotiators going to Canberra and then on to Sydney is not necessarily very optimistic,” says one Japanese official. “We don’t have any indication that the US will back down on a number of irrational demands they are making.”
Financial Times: US trade agenda hinges on midterm elections
US trade agenda hinges on midterm elections
Financial Times
By Shawn Donnan
October 20, 2014
Comments
Ideal suggestion/scenario is just to keep on disagreeing forever. Just obfuscate, procrastinate, obstinate, be as vague as whenever can and eventually it should suck the life out of itself. All Japan itself has to do is keep saying no to all the (inevitaly US-centric) demands required (not asked) of them - one positive it could be said about all this forestalling. Job done.
What's the deal with being in Canberra and Sydney, a neutral site? Maybe they all just want a nice jolly in Sydney, nice harbour-view hotel window etc. As for Canberra - duH!! Custom built Capital 'city', est 1910, as a compromise between the states of New South Wales (ie Sydney) and Victory (ie Melbourne). Incredibly boring place, which is sayings something architecturally over there. Not too much heritage to fall back on architecturally. Sydney Opera House you say Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon. Hmmm, Danish doesn't sound too Aussie does it. Anyway, lets hear of the never-ending TPP talks to be, well, never-ending. Job done.
I did attend the round in Brunei, so... I know that we need to have one in say, Tokyo.
Scandal, you may say, that no such effort has been made.