Scholar urges TPP member plan rethink

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Scholar urges TPP member plan rethink

Published: 14 Nov 2012 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

The government should think twice before pressing ahead with its plan to seek membership of the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a leading academic warned yesterday.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership has members on both sides of the Pacific, but it has plenty of sceptics in the US (photo) and every member country as well.

The cabinet on Monday approved a proposal for the government to hold negotiations with the US over the possibility that Thailand might become a new member of the TPP.

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DONHUAN
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Discussion 21 : 15 Nov 2012 at 13.0621
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USA is not interested in “free” trade, only “fair” trade that carter to her comparative advantages. The US is fast losing its economic clout over these region and need to change some ground rules if they are to continue to dominate the economic front. APEC and other East Asia economic groupings will become irrelevant because it don’t really serve US core interests. Sooner rather then later, other nations along the Pacific rim, except China, N.Korea and Russia, will have to join this new economic grouping for practical reasons, but “negotiate” based on TPP terms and conditions.
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watchdog
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Discussion 20 : 15 Nov 2012 at 06.5520
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"Are prices of Chilean wines going to drop 70 %?" They'll do the same thing they did with Australian wines. As the Customs tax declines, they'll increase the excise taxes, citing health issues (which apparently don't exist for more potent cheap Thai distilled liquors). Seriously, the TPP will likely make it harder for the authorities to play this game. Even now, even without the TPP, Thailand got hit with a scathing opinion in a WTO case for playing this game.
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DickFarang
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Discussion 19 : 14 Nov 2012 at 19.5219
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South Korea has already bilateral free trade agreements with the EU and the US.
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DickFarang
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Discussion 18 : 14 Nov 2012 at 19.4018
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“The TPP now has 11 members, namely Brunei, Chile, Singapore, New Zealand, the US, Australia, Peru, Vietnam, Malaysia, Mexico and Canada.”

Why are Canada and Mexico not mentioned in the map ?
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DickFarang
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Discussion 17 : 14 Nov 2012 at 19.3317
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Are prices of Chilean wines going to drop 70 % ?
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watchdog
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Discussion 16 : 14 Nov 2012 at 17.4616
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DONHUAN - The TPP contains terms and conditions agreed by all of the participants to the current negotations. There is no special US agenda in the TPP, unless you think the US has a monopoly on eliminating trade barriers and promoting transparency. If there was a special US agenda, why would other countries join? They agreed because the TPP does requires substantive transparency and a real - not pretend - elimination of trade barriers. If China was willing and able to make agree to such terms, it could join the TPP. This is not a US problem. It is a Chinese problem.
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DONHUAN
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Discussion 15 : 14 Nov 2012 at 16.5615
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Maybe the US didn’t initiate TPP but why are conditions for joining based on US terms. Any serious trading blocks that excludes the 2nd biggest economy in the world sound very suspicious indeed. There are at present so many trading blocks in Asia, with major American participation, to incorporate any new economic initiatives. Why form another special interest trading block at the specific exclusion of other countries? Is this another “with us or against us” economic policy for the sole benefits of the USA. “Doubt is the beginning of wisdom”. – English Proverb
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Eric
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Discussion 14 : 14 Nov 2012 at 16.4514
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BOT said this best that we can't tell how it will benefit Thailand without negotiating and for details to be revealed. Perhaps this is the best way for Thailand to improve it's standard and competitiveness by competing with the best economies. We can't keep being sheltered in our comfort zone while eroding our competiveness. Dont be zenophopic which only hinders development and progress. We have to take some hard knocks but in the end we come up stronger.
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watchdog
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Discussion 13 : 14 Nov 2012 at 14.2813
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John_1 and others: why all the conspiracy theories about hidden intentions of the US in the TPP? The US didn't initate the TPP (see article) and the TPP involves plenty of other countries besides the US that are certainly strong and smart enough to protect their own interests. Moreover, the TPP is NOT as US intiative. It started with Singapore, New Zealand and Chile in 2005. Are you arguing that the TPP is all part of cunning ruse by the U.S. where, starting in 2005, it used these countries as fronts to form a trade pact favoring the US that would come into force almost 10 years later? Pretty zany conspiracy theory.
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georgegod
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Discussion 12 : 14 Nov 2012 at 14.2212
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Would this free trade thing lead us to 4G by allowing AT&T, Bell, Nortel, and the likes to join the bid?

Just a daydream.
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Scholar urges TPP member plan rethink | Bangkok Post: news