Trade
U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Clinton Will Support TPP after Election
January 29, 2016
In an interview from Davos with Bloomberg TV, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue assured viewers that if Hillary Clinton wins the Presidential election, she will support the TPP, even though she opposes it now. Donohue argued that Clinton has publicly opposed the deal chiefly because her main challenger, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has also done so. “If she were to get nominated, if she were to be elected, I have a hunch that what runs in the family is you get a little practical if you ever get the job,” he said. Donohue further said he believes there is a 75 percent chance the TPP would get done in the lame-duck session after the election.
Read More: Huffington Post
Senior Official: Pressure’s on to pass TPP
January 28, 2016
Despite the opposition of presidential frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the Trans-Pacific Partnership could still get through to passage this year, according to a senior administration official. The official expressed a belief that lawmakers would support the deal once they understand the benefits for their districts and states, as well as the costs of not approving it. He also expressed confidence that the concerns Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and others have raised about pharmaceutical, tobacco and other provisions of the pact could be resolved.
Read more: Politico
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: The view from the Obama Administration
January 28, 2016
An Obama administration official expressed satisfaction about the number of “economically significant groups” that have announced their support for the TPP, and optimism that Congress would approve it despite the opposition of leading presidential candidates from both parties. Citing the proliferation of bilateral trade agreements involving TPP countries as evidence of the rapidly evolving international economic environment, the official believes that the choice isn’t between TPP and the status quo. It’s between TPP and the direction the world is heading.
Read More: Brookings
MPs break ranks on TPP
January 28, 2016
Two senior Labour MPs have broken ranks with the party line and declared their support for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), amid rumors that at least one, Phil Goff, could cross the floor of Parliament to vote with National if Labour opposes enabling legislation. Labor has joined the campaign to oppose the deal as the focus turns to the signing in Auckland next week. Mr Goff, a former leader and former Trade Minister and now an Auckland mayoral candidate, and David Shearer, also a former Labour leader, told the Herald they both still supported the TPP. Former Labour Prime Minister Helen Clark has also backed the TPP as its negotiations began under her leadership.
Read more: NZ Herald
New Zealand wine exports hit $1.5 billion as US becomes largest market
January 28, 2016
Wine exports are now worth more than $1.5 billion to New Zealand’s economy. The latest figures from New Zealand Winegrowers show New Zealand wine exports increased 14 per cent on 2014. New Zealand Winegrowers chief executive Philip Gregan said wine is now the country’s sixth largest export. In August, the United States became New Zealand’s most valuable wine export market, surpassing Australia.
Read More: Stuff
Democratic Mayors Line Up for TPP
January 27, 2016
Democratic mayors are lining up in favor of President Obama’s Pacific Rim trade deal, which is opposed by most Democrats in Congress and the Democratic presidential field. The big-city leaders argue that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will create jobs and boost their regional economies. “This is an opportunity to bring more economic and wage growth to our communities and the U.S. economy as a whole,” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said in a release on Monday.
A core group of Democratic mayors — Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Christopher Cabaldon of West Sacramento, California— vowed to canvass Capitol Hill to win votes for the TPP. Mayors see the benefits of increased trade “in real and concrete terms” and are willing “to step out and take an aggressive approach to build congressional support,” Buckhorn told The Hill. Many of the mayors represent port cities, such as New Orleans, or agricultural strongholds that are expected to benefit from the trade deal.
Read More: The Hill
‘Landmark’ Pacific Rim trade deal could boost U.S. exports
January 25, 2016
A Pacific Rim trade deal championed by the Obama administration represents a “landmark accord” that would yield considerable economic gains for the United States and 11 other nations, boosting exports by nine percent a year and increasing wages, according an analysis of the agreement by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. However, the Institute also found that the TPP would not increase job creation overall, and it could potentially force 50,000 U.S. workers each year to find new jobs, a process that might require them to pursue new training.
Read More: Washington Post
TPP ‘great for NZ’ claims John Key
January 26, 2016
Prime Minister John Key continues to strongly support the TPP and claims the deal was “25 years in the making.” Prime Minister Key believes the Government has the public on its side and that TPP opponents had made up their minds about it before they saw the text or the national interest analysis.
Read More: NZ herald
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