WikiLeaks releases new documents exposing secret Trans-Pacific Partnership talks

In November, WikiLeaks published a rare draft of the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership treaty — revealing the United States' covert international push for stronger intellectual property rights. Now, nearly a month after the first documents were published, the group is back on the case, publishing a new raft of documents from the TPP negotiations currently taking place in Singapore. The revelations are mostly the same, with the United States leading the charge for SOPA-like penalties on file-sharing and stringent patent reforms, but the new documents suggest that the public outcry against these proposals has had little effect on the negotiations.

The leaks come at a particularly inconvenient time for negotiators, as they enter into their fourth day of talks in Singapore amid growing criticism. The talks are premised on secrecy, allowing countries to push for particular proposals without having to justify their positions publicly, but the continued pressure from WikiLeaks has brought unintended attention to the proceedings. These latest documents highlight the United States' role in the process, as it attempts to force the smaller nations to adopt more stringent rules. "The US is exerting great pressure to close as many issues as possible this week," says a state-of-play summary included in the leaks. "This pressure will increase with every passing day."

The Verge

Report: U.S. Faces Opposition on Pro-Corporate Agenda in TPP Talks

As the World Trade Organization meets in Indonesia, negotiators and lobbyists from the United States and 11 other countries are also in Singapore for secretive talks on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP would establish a free trade zone stretching from Vietnam to Chile to Japan, encompassing nearly 40 percent of the global economy. The Huffington Post reports the United States has received almost no support for a series of proposals that would grant "radical new powers to corporations." Internal memos from an unnamed government involved in the talks show the Obama administration has tried to push through guarantees for corporations to sue governments for lost profits in a private court. The administration has also called for new intellectual property regulations that would give pharmaceutical giants long-term monopolies over medications, freezing out cheaper generic alternatives. Another U.S. proposal facing resistance would limit governments from negotiating lower prices with pharmaceutical companies. On bank regulation, the United States has faced opposition for seeking restrict "banking controls," a series of measures that can help a government respond to financial crises. Activists observing the talks, meanwhile, say the United States has been trying to push through an agreement by January 1, hosting secretive invite-only sessions with key delegates.


Democracy Now

TPP Exposed: WikiLeaks Publishes Secret Trade Text to Rewrite Copyright Laws, Limit Internet Freedom

Democracy Now

Kerry Touts Secretive TPP Trade Deal at APEC Summit

U.S. officials are pushing for an agreement by the end of the year on the secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal described by critics as "NAFTA on steroids" that would establish a free trade zone stretching from Vietnam to Chile to Japan and encompassing nearly 40 percent of the global economy. Secretary of State John Kerry emphasized the U.S. commitment to the deal during an address to business leaders at the APEC summit in Bali, Indonesia.

John Kerry: "At its core, TPP is about generating growth for our economies and jobs for our people by unleashing a wave of investment and entrepreneurship all across the Asia Pacific. And at a time when we, all of us, seek strong and sustainable growth, TPP is creating a race to the top, not to the bottom."

Democracy Now 

"A Corporate Trojan Horse": Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws

Democracy Now

Anti-Smoking Groups Criticize U.S. Stance on TPP Tobacco Negotiations

Negotiations over a major new global trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership have hit a snag after the Obama administration proposed allowing tobacco companies to challenge anti-smoking policies in participating countries. The position has been criticized by the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and other anti-smoking groups. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized the U.S. proposal, saying it "would be a colossal public health mistake and potentially contribute to the deaths of tens of millions of people around the world." In recent years, the tobacco industry has used other trade and investment pacts to challenge anti-smoking measures in the United States, Australia, Uruguay, Ireland, Norway and Turkey.

Democracy Now

Obama-Backed Trans-Pacific Partnership Expands Corporate Lawsuits Against Nations for Lost Profits

Transcript Democracy Now

Report: U.S. Prepared to Scrap Environmental Rules to Win TPP Deal

The Obama administration is reportedly preparing to undermine strong environmental safeguards in trade talks with 11 other Pacific Rim countries. New documents released by WikiLeaks show the White House is ready to backtrack on a series of critical regulations in order to secure a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. These include legally binding requirements for pollution limits, logging standards, and a ban on the harvesting of shark fins.

Democracy Now

U.S. Pushes Japanese Involvement in TPP Talks

Secretary of State John Kerry’s Asia visit also came as the Obama administration fast-tracked Japanese involvement in talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a controversial trade pact between the United States and nine other countries. The TPP has attracted scrutiny for creating new mechanisms that would allow foreign corporations to win taxpayer compensation for lost profits due to regulations. Japan has more corporations operating in the United States than other TPPcountries, raising the prospect of compensation claims. In a statement, the group Public Citizen said: "By inviting Japan to enter the TPP negotiations, the Obama administration is inviting a wave of corporate attacks on domestic laws through a system that is a threat to our sovereignty and solvency."

Democracy Now

Japan Remains Hotbed of TPP Protest as U.S. Tries to Fast-Track Trade Deal, Crush Environmental Laws

Transcript Democracy Now

Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)

“If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.”

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Trans Pacific Partnership Is “Corporatist Power Grab”

It will increase the cost of borrowing, make prescription drugs more expensive, destroy privacy, harm food safety,  and – yes -  literally act to destroy the sovereignty of the U.S. and the other nations which sign the bill.



You know you have a transparency problem when citizens of a democracy need to rely on WikiLeaks for details on changes to laws on Internet use, labor, environmental and food-safety standards, and the cost and availability of drugs.

TPP is not really about trade. The tariff barriers and quotas between the TPP countries are already low in most cases. Rather the point of the deal is to put in place a structure of regulations that will be more friendly to the large corporations who are in many cases directly part of the negotiating process.

The provisions in the agreement will overrule measures passed by national,  state, and local legislative bodies, in effect stripping democratically elected officials of much of their authority. Since most of the text is still secret we can only speculate on what the final agreement will include.

The leaked chapter on intellectual property indicated that it would likely  mean sharply higher drug prices in many countries since the TPP would  strengthen patents and related restrictions on selling drugs. The final  agreement may limit the ability of governments to regulate fracking. 

In the United States, federal law prohibits state and local governments from  requiring disclosure of the chemicals used in the fracking process. This makes it far more difficult to detect pollution of ground water and drinking water. The TPP may include a similar provision.

It may also include restrictions on the ability of governments to regulate the financial sector.

                                          ---------------------------------------------


                                     Members and Potential Members (TPP)


 Country/Region        Status                                        Date
 Brunei                       Original Signatory                           June 2005
 Chile                         Original Signatory                           June 2005
 New Zealand            Original Signatory                           June 2005
 Singapore                 Original Signatory                            June 2005
 United States                Negotiating                                  February 2008
 Australia                       Negotiating                                  November 2008
 Peru                             Negotiating                                  November 2008
 Vietnam                        Negotiating                                 November 2008
 Malaysia                       Negotiating                                 October 2010
 Mexico                         Negotiating                                 October 2012
 Canada                         Negotiating                                 October 2012
 Japan                            Negotiating                                 March 2013
 Taiwan                     Announced Interest                         September 2013
 South Korea            Announced Interest                          November 2013


Other countries that have expressed interest in TPP membership are Taiwan, the Philippines, Laos, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Indonesia. Cambodia, Bangladesh and India

It's Time to End the Secrecy Surrounding TPP

 TPP is ...

Despite efforts to keep the deal out of public view, leaks have occurred that have led to concern and more questions.

People in the U.S. and across the globe increasingly believe they have a right to know how the TPP will affect them.

There is even one significant issue that hasn't been addressed yet : Currency manipulation

Why would such a major matter, with strong bipartisan support, be pushed aside? Because there is increasing desperation to reach an agreement. Negotiators know they are in a race against time. As more details are secretly leaked about how the deal will affect workers and consumers, opposition is rising. Trade officials are suffering for engaging in a closed process.

The latest leaks show the U.S. is pushing forward with policies that further investor privileges and investor-state dispute settlement that expose our laws to foreign tribunals. They also expand incentives to move more U.S. jobs abroad, hurting hard-working Americans who are already paying the price for previous financial policy disasters. Meanwhile, enforceable labor and environmental standards remain unresolved. And efforts to rein in unfair subsidies for state-owned entities like New Zealand's dairy industry remain undone.

The Teamsters set out key fair trade objectives for the TPP three years ago that we believed the proposed trade deal had to meet to earn our support. They are:

>> Protect workers' rights through a strong labor chapter;

>> Protect the environment through a strong environmental chapter;

>> Protect American investors in the investment chapter - no "investor-state" dispute resolution;

>> Protect food safety and family farmers; and

>> Allow for "Buy American" government purchasing rules in the procurement chapter

Well, we're not there yet. Or shall I say, we don't know if we're there yet.

(James P. Hoffa)

Senator Elizabeth Warren on TPP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAgJaIwdXLI

Warren on Trans-Pacific Partnership: If people knew what was going on, they would stop it

The Senate confirmed Michael Froman as the new United States Trade Representative by a 93-4 vote. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Carl Levin (D-MI) joined Warren in voting no.

Link

TPP - Green Party of Canada

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a massive free trade and investment agreement under negotiation by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.

The Greens are concerned the TPP will undermine the ability of our governments to perform effectively. More than just another trade agreement, the TPP provisions could hinder access to safe, affordable medicines, weaken local content rules for media, stifle high-tech innovation, and even restrict the ability of future governments to legislate for the good of public health and the environment.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement will have major impacts to Canada’s policy, economy and environment. It will:

• Allow foreign investors and corporations to sue Canada if any level of government passes laws that reduce their profits or adversely affect their businesses.
• Promote and protect exploitative tar sands development while safeguarding corporate profits at the expense of the health of our economy and environment.
• Introduce harsh laws on internet use allowing for strict criminal penalties for minor, non-commercial copyright infringements, and force internet providers to disclose personal information to authorities without safeguards for privacy.

The Green parties of Australia, New Zealand and Canada issued a joint statement on the TPP in August 2012. Since then, Green leaders from the USA, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines have added their signature to the declaration.

Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May made public her submission to the TPP’s Environmental Assessment Process in January 2013. The document, available here, explains how the TPP will most likely include investor-state provisions. Those provisions, like the infamous Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), fundamentally erode a government’s ability to enact laws, regulations and policies that protect its environment or the health of its citizens.

The Green Party of Canada believes that the negotiation process should be transparent. This agreement has been negotiated behind closed doors with a level of secrecy that is completely unacceptable in a democratic society.

Green Party of Canada

Chomsky on the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Maude Barlow on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)