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There was a strong turnout for the TPP Stakeholder Forum in Viet Nam yesterday. Presentations ranged from business perspectives on specific commercial and regulatory issues through to NGO concerns about impacts on social policies. It was encouraging to hear the views of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the opportunities that TPP will provide for Vietnamese businesses, and also on ways to make sure Viet Nam could benefit fully from the outcome. The Vietnamese textile and apparel industry representative highlighted the importance of his industry to Viet Nam’s growth strategy but also flagged areas where improvements in rules were needed to allow Viet Nam to take advantage of new market access opportunities. Several US apparel and retail industry representatives likewise argued for a different approach to the US import regime for these products, noting the difficulty of accessing preferential tariffs under existing FTAs.
A Ford Motor Company representative, noting that the automotive sector accounted for 10 per cent of world trade, argued for an aggressive approach to elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers and systematic efforts to harmonise regulatory approaches.
There were several presentations focusing on different aspects of intellectual property and ICT.
There were several presentations focusing on different aspects of intellectual property and ICT. A Google representative characterised the Internet as “the trade route of the 21st century” and made a case for a balanced approach to intellectual property rights. She also highlighted the broad and positive economic impact of Internet-related technologies and services. A Motion Picture Association representative focused on the importance to his industry of content protection. The presenter from Novartis outlined some of the pharmaceuticals research and development work being done in Asia and commented that not-for-profit research could only take place if pharmaceuticals companies were commercially successful in other areas.
Several civil society representatives were critical of the negotiation, in some cases referring back to experience with previous FTAs and expressing concern about the effect of TPP on developing countries in particular. An Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network representative highlighted investor-state dispute settlement, intellectual property and pharmaceuticals as major areas of risk. A speaker from the Third World Network talked about the impacts of commitments on tariffs, services, investment and government procurements on developing countries. There were several presentations focusing on different aspects of intellectual property and ICT. New Zealand law professor Jane Kelsey focused specifically on the services negotiation in TPP. suggesting that there was a tendency for trade and commercial dimensions to crowd out social dimensions and calling for governments to restore balance. She presented an argument drawing on Article V of the General Agreement on Trade and Services for differentiation in market access commitments between developed and developing countries in the TPP negotiation.
Stakeholders will have further opportunities to engage with negotiators at a welcome reception tonight and a briefing tomorrow.
