RCEP: An Unjust Deal and Added Burden in the Time of a Pandemic
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 08 December 2020 03:32
- Written by editor
RCEP: An Unjust Deal and Added Burden in the Time of a Pandemic
Trade Justice Pilipinas
In the midst of a global pandemic and despite strong peoples’ opposition, governments are set to sign today (23 November) the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) at the sidelines of the 37th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Trade Justice Pilipinas joins the chorus of condemnation of this ambitious trade and investment agreement. Over years of following these negotiations – engaging actively in stakeholder processes, debating with trade negotiators from the Philippines and the region, facilitating public discussions and mobilizing protest actions against the agreement – we have consistently raised our concerns over the... negative implications of RCEP on the Philippine economy.
That the agreement will be signed in the time of an unprecedented health and economic emergency that has exacted a heavy toll on public health systems and the economies across the region, is unconscionable. RCEP will not allow sufficient policy space for governments to adopt timely and adequate measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic and will further expose countries to costly legal challenges before a panel of private judges under an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism. RCEP will further prop-up a broken economic model that we need to radically transform in favor of one that is more resilient.
Continue reading
Follow the Socialist Project on Social Media:
The Bullet is produced by the Socialist Project. Readers are encouraged to distribute widely. Comments, criticisms and suggestions are welcome. Write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The Bullet archive is available at r0
Forward to a friend: this link
r39
powered by phpList