TRADE BLOCS – PACIFIC AREA

Unions pressure Shorten on TPP

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joanna Mather
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Jan-17

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull believes that the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal can proceed without the US. However, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has questioned why Turnbull is still supporting the TPP when it is unlikely to go ahead. ACTU president Ged Kearney has urged Shorten to state whether the Australian Labor Party will vote against the TPP legislation if it is put before Parliament. Shorten has only indicated that Labor will consider the bill.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES)

Turnbull lashes Shorten for TPP stand

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly, Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Jan-17

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will move to block a push to bring forward a parliamentary vote on ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Shorten argues that there is no point in proceeding with a vote on the TPP as the US will not ratify the 12-nation agreement under incoming President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has criticised Shorten’s stance and indicated that the TPP could potentially proceed without the US. The Greens also oppose the TPP.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION. BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Turnbull lashes Shorten for TPP stand

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly, Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 17-Jan-17

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will move to block a push to bring forward a parliamentary vote on ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Shorten argues that there is no point in proceeding with a vote on the TPP as the US will not ratify the 12-nation agreement under incoming President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has criticised Shorten’s stance and indicated that the TPP could potentially proceed without the US. The Greens also oppose the TPP.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, NICK XENOPHON TEAM, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION. BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

Ciobo still hopes for TPP, minus US

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Primrose Riordan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 10 : 23-Nov-16

US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed that withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership will be his first priority upon taking office. Australia’s Trade Minister Steve Ciobo is optimistic that the TPP can proceed without the US, arguing that the other participating nations could negotiate a new TPP deal that could include China or Indonesia. Meanwhile, economist Warwick McKibbin says Australia’s GDP could potentially fall by 5.6 per cent if the Trump administration starts a trade war with China.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, JAPAN. OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, HSBC AUSTRALIA HOLDINGS PTY LTD

China, Australia to push for new trade bloc

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Lisa Murray
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 5 : 15-Nov-16

The Chinese Government hopes the demise of the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership will provide the impetus to proceed with the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific. China has been advocating the FTAAP trade bloc as an alternative to the TPP since 2014, as the nation was not a participant in the TPP. Australia also supports the FTAAP, according to Trade Minister Steve Ciobo. A regional trade agreement is likely to be on the agenda for the upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit meeting in Peru.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, FREE TRADE AREA OF THE ASIA PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY. EAST ASIAN BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, RMIT UNIVERSITY, CHINA INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

TPP dead but free-trade deal still on

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 5 : 11-Nov-16

Australia’s Trade Minister Steve Ciobo has acknowledged that the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership is unlikely to proceed after Donald Trump won the US presidential election. Kim Beazley, Australia’s former ambassador to Washington, also says Trump’s victory has assured the TPP’s demise, but he stresses the need for Australia to retain strong trade ties, particularly with Asia. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull does not expect the Trump presidency to have any effect on the Australia-US free-trade agreement, which came into effect in 2005.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES)

TPP deal ‘doomed’ as US set to retreat

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 16 : 10-Nov-16

Australia’s former foreign minister Bob Carr does not expect the Trans-Pacific Partnership to proceed under US President Donald Trump. He adds that Congress is unlikely to ratify the 12-nation trade deal during the final months of Barack Obama’s presidency, while Trump could potentially also abandon some existing international treaties. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is optimistic that the Obama administration will ratify the TPP, although she notes that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is being negotiated in Asia and would provide an alternative to the TPP.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

TPP to tackle protectionism

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 2 : 27-Sep-16

Two federal parliament committees are examining the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership. Andrew Hudson of the Export Council of Australia has told the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties that Australia must ratify the trade agreement, as failure to do so would bolster the protectionist movement, which he noted is gaining support in many parts of the world. However, the Electrical Trades Union has argued against ratifying the trade deal.

CORPORATES
TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, EXPORT COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE ON TREATIES, ELECTRICAL TRADES UNION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), FOOD AND BEVERAGE IMPORTERS ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA

Obama optimistic about TPP but signs not good

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 23-Sep-16

US President Barack Obama is confident that Congress will ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement later in 2016, but his optimism is not warranted. He spoke about the TPP with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on 22 September 2016. Turnbull believes that the TPP will stimulate economic growth and ensure political stability in the region.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), DEMOCRATIC PARTY (UNITED STATES)

PM to push US over TPP

roymorgansocial Leave a comment

Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 19-Sep-16

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will address the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 22 September 2016. He will also use the trip to seek US support for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, and he is hopeful that it can be ratified by the US before the new president takes office in January 2017. The TPP is opposed by both presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Turnbull has stressed the "strategic importance" of the TPP in the South-east Asia region.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, UNITED NATIONS. GENERAL ASSEMBLY, TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES), DEMOCRATIC PARTY (UNITED STATES), ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF DEFENSE