Shutterstock
The United States wants to use the negotiations to counter Chinese influence in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Prime Minister Morrison and Trade Minister Birmingham sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement in November 2020, Canberra.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement prevents signatories from tightening regulations, except in specified sectors — and aged care hasn’t been named as one of those exceptions.
www.shutterstock.com
The recently signed RCEP trade agreement encourages even closer ties with China, but this puts New Zealand’s long-term interests at risk.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham after signing on Sunday.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Australia and other governments refused to release the text until after it was signed on Sunday. It’ll do little for Australian trade.
EPA
As world trade breaks down into a patchwork of regional blocs, it raises questions about the future of global multinationals.
As the public face of globalism, the WTO mobilised protesters. It’ll be replaced by the law of the jungle.
fuzheado/Flikr
We are about to go from having rules that overreached to having few rules. The US, China and the EU will be able to act with impunity.
The 16 nations negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership account for almost half the world’s population.
Shutterstock/Datawrapper
The biggest barrier to Australia and much of the rest of the world signing up to the world’s biggest trading bloc appears to have been removed.
Trump has nobbled the umpire. The rules that have governed trade need a new line of defence.
EPA/KEVIN DIETSCH
Illegality doesn’t matter when you’ve kneecapped the umpire who would have enforced the rules.
US President Donald Trump is trying to head off Xi Jinping’s trade deals in East Asia.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trump is trying to shape the US as a power in Asia and block China in the process, using techniques familiar to Beijing.
Australia is one of the largest producers of natural gas.
AAP
Australia’s prime location and Asia’s growing demand make it unlikely that there will be less foreign demand for our gas.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing his country from the TPP within days of reaching office.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
The TPP should still bring enough benefits for the remaining countries to make it worthwhile to go through the trouble of enacting it.
The TPP never stood for free trade anyway.
Peter Boyle/Newzulu
The TPP can’t go ahead in any form, so its time the Australian government lets it go.
Australia should try be the first to negotiate a bilateral trade deal with the UK after Brexit.
Aly Song/Reuters
It seems in the current global turbulence multilateral trade deals are dead, long live bilateral agreements.
Countries looking to make new deals may be apprehensive about encountering political hostility akin to that garnered by the TPP.
Guadalupe Pardo/Reuters
A stalled Trans-Pacific Partnership opens the way for China, which was excluded from the agreement, to assume leadership in regional economic integration efforts in the Asia-Pacific.
President-elect Donald Trump’s avowed opposition to the Trans Pacific Partnership will work in China’s favour.
Jason Lee/Reuters
If Beijing can bring its neighbours to accept its regional leadership, China would have successfully achieved a dramatic reduction of US influence.
Australia is keen to gain greater market access to Asia’s food, wine and dairy markets.
Issei Kato/Reuters
Australia should look to India rather than the US Congress to secure its next regional trade win.
Republican nominee Donald Trump isn’t in favour of the TPP.
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
If the United States doesn’t ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership, China will be more likely to succeed with its own trade agreement.
Australia’s approach to trade policy is more thoughtful and calculating than it is given credit for by sections of the media, academia and the public who object to current negotiations.
AAP/Newzulu/Jeff Tan
Ten years on from the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, Australia is entering another round of negotiations towards the new and controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is the first article in the…