It’s Our Future is reminding the Labour Government that it opposed the original Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), in light of reports the United States may consider joining the successor Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

On Thursday, soon after China had announced it had applied to join the CPTPP, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the US is willing to consider an “opportunity” to negotiate entry. But the President had not changed his mind that changes to the deal would have to be made.

“Alarm bells should be ringing – hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders voiced their opposition to the US’s aggressive demands in the TPPA”, said It’s Our Future spokesperson Edward Miller.

“The current Labour government opposed its ratification when they were in Opposition.”

“After the Trump administration withdrew, some of the worst parts we had campaigned against were “suspended”. That includes aggressive intellectual property rights for Big Pharma that could have made vaccine inequality even worse. Other rules, like those designed by and for Big Tech, remained in place.”

“It’s clear that the Biden administration would want to revive these suspensions and introduce new demands that go beyond the original TPPA.”

Miller is also concerned that the CPTPP could become a battleground between the US-China, as the two giants seek to apply their own favoured trading rules to the wider Pacific region.

“There’s an old saying: when two elephants fight, the grass is crushed. Today, as many countries across the Asia Pacific are struggling with an uneven economic recovery from the greatest economic and public health crisis in recent history, it is crucial for the Labour government to step back and remember why they originally opposed the TPPA .”

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