Malaysians opposed to a Pacific Rim trade pact say leaks from the latest round of talks in Salt Lake City show that the United States is using bullying tactics and as such, Malaysia should drop out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.
The leaked documents indicate that the US is out on a limb on many crucial issues, including prices of medicines, rules on hot money flows to prevent financial crises and rights for foreign investors, among others, according to Jane Kelsey, an international free trade expert and law professor from the University of Auckland, who had attended the meetings in Salt Lake City and Singapore.
“These polarized positions make US strong-armed tactics even more worrying. Stories of bullying that I reported from Salt Lake City are born out by this insider account. The countries predicted that US pressure would increase with every passing day,” said Kelsey.
The proposed TPPA with the US involves Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam.