Perhaps the biggest news concerning South East Asia this week is the conclusion of talks between trade ministers of the 12 countries participating in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
12 countries strike Pacific Rim trade accord, 5 October 2015
The Empire’s strategic answer to Eurasian integration, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a “free trade agreement” that excludes China and is a central pillar of the Empire’s pivot to Asia. [source]
The “largest global trade agreement in 20 years”, the TPP protects Asian/Pacific markets for the monopolies of the Empire (particularly pharmaceutical and agribusiness monopolies) to both prop up profits in a period of persisting crisis, and to strategically “contain” China’s rising influence. As Australian Green’s Senator Scott Ludlam described it, the TPP is a “self-authored investors rights charter” which will significantly decrease living standards in the developing Asian countries. [source]
Historic Pacific trade deal faces skeptics in US congress, 5 October 2015
“The Obama administration hopes the pact will help the United States increase its influence in East Asia and help counter the rise of China, which is not one of the TPP nations.” [source]
While Reuters speculates that the final congressional approval of the TPP will face hurdles, in May US senators proved that they aren’t immune to persuasion (but are immune to democracy), when it was reported that they received bribes from Goldman Sachs, Pfizer, and Procter & Gamble for their support of the so-called ‘fast-track bill’. [source]
And indeed, Wall Street’s neocon think-tank, the Council on Foreign Relations, has said that it predicts that the deal will pass the US congress (likely with another massive campaign of bribery and corruption). [source]
Thailand’s bid for the TPP – time for trade, or trade for time? 28 September 2015
Interesting manoeuvring from the Thai government in relation to the TPP. Western-backed former Prime Minister and oligarch Yingluck Shinawatra was keen to join until she was ousted in 2014 by a military coup. The Empire retaliated by downgrading Thailand’s TIP (trafficking in persons) ranking to the lowest possible level, Tier 3. Now the Thai government wants back in, in what is possibly an attempt to ease the Empire’s pressure on Thailand particularly in the wake of the Erawan shrine bombing which is linked to a number of shady US-backed elements. [source]
TPP politics? US upgrade of Malaysia’s human trafficking score draws criticism, 28 July 2015
And if you doubted that the Empire was actually concerned about Thailand’s human trafficking record, in July they upgraded Malaysia from Tier 3 to Tier 2 in what many claimed was linked to the TPP’s stipulation that the US is barred from entering a trade agreement with Tier 3 countries. Thus, the issue of human trafficking is just another stick to be used in the Empire’s “human rights” diplomatic arsenal. [source]
China wins Indonesia high-speed rail project as Japan laments ‘extremely regrettable’ U-turn, 29 September 2015
And while the US consolidates its clients in the region China continues its steady process of Eurasian integration through its ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. After Indonesia turned down both Japan and China’s proposed high-speed rail projects, the Chinese came back with a better deal which the Indonesians accepted in a move that the Japanese described as “hard to understand”. This deal comes on the heels of a similar deal with Thailand reached in August. [source]
Navy will challenge Chinese territorial claims in South China Sea, 8 October 2015
Of course, complementing the Empire’s economic encirclement and containment, is its military encirclement and containment. Reports that the US plans to send a naval warship through China’s 12-mile territorial limit in the South China Sea (the first such action since 2012) are a significant message/provocation to Beijing. [source]
Southeast Asia ‘forgets’ about Western Terror, 2 October 2015
Finally, Andre Vltchek on the historical amnesia in many Southeast Asian nations – an amnesia all the more dangerous now as the Empire begins implementing its pivot to Asia. [source]
Conclusions:
– The Trans-Pacific Partnership must be viewed as much more than a mere “trade deal”, but as part of the Empire’s multi-spectrum war on China and the emerging multipolar order.
– Thailand’s recent political unrest has the current government uneasy and seeking to relieve the pressure emanating from Washington.
– Human rights issues such as the classification of a country’s human trafficking record is one of the Empire’s foreign policy weapons to punish/reward and enact tribute from oppressed nations.
– The US Navy’s announced patrol of the South China Sea has to be viewed as a provocation. The situation must be monitored for any provocation/false flag incidents that may occur.
Thanks for the link to Vitchek’s article, it’s very sad, but a great article. It’s difficult to be optimistic after reading it.
Remember, even a mini revolution can cure a tpp…
Great sitrep thanks so much Joseph K…short and concise. I’ve sent it on to friends.
Re Thailand; JK says,…Thailand particularly in the wake of the Erawan shrine bombing which is linked to a number of shady US-backed elements.
Just where did that come from? Your source (AT) said nothing about that and as a long term resident, have not heard or read that.
Hi Anon, yes, you’re right. My mistake. There are differing interpretations in the alternative media regarding the Erawan incident. Land Destroyer is convinced of the Shinawatra-Uyghur-NATO connection (http://landdestroyer.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Thailand) while Peter Lee is “agnostic”, and suspects a vengeful human trafficking ring… (http://atimes.com/2015/09/erawan-bombing-uyghurs-turkey-passports-or-thailand-human-trafficking-corruption-and-uyghur-patsies/).
Joseph K.,
Thanks for your response. I have no doubt the U.S. has its interests in Thailand; but relations here with the U.S. are at an historic low. Diplomatically the U.S. has exhibited insensitivity and ingnorence of the culture.
China is the new darling here. The U.S.? Not so much; we’ll see…
Cheers
From mainland Asia only Vietnam signed TPP. TPP comes to late to make a difference. It’s China that runs the show.
To get a real perspective what is going down in Asia, check this, folks:
” China’s Alipay alone settled more purchases by value in just one day over China’s “Valentine” holiday last November, than all US online and retail outlets over the three-day Thanksgiving holiday.”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-10-11/dollar-chinas-financial-war
Hint: Also read the top-of-the-list comments by DubaiBanker.
I don’t think the ‘pivot to asia’ has any legs at all. I still reckon it was more a throw away comment by Obama when Gillard (the Au PM) gave him a marine base in Darwin, Australia. A convenient justification to hide the real agenda…Africa.
Actually, the most horrific aspect of the TPP, for those who will have to live under its provisions, is that it takes sovereignty away from the populations of its member nations, and transfers that sovereignty to foreign corporations.
No longer will national legislatures be able to adopt legislation promoting worker rights, environmental protection, protection from Big Finance and its swindles, and on and on. One particularly evil provision is that public services and agencies, once privatized, can never be “un-privatized.”
In other words, the TPP establishes in its own zone, the same top-down, all-encompassing political (not just economic and financial) control that EU nations are only just now learning about in their own areas.
And all the people will be nothing more than prisoners — in their own lands — of the 0.01 percent of, primarily, the US.
Exactly Jack. Thank you for good sense. I think the bit about anything which is once made private cannot ever again be public is a provision of the Services treaty, which I think is TiSP or TIsP. Note that it includes banking services so that we can’t nationalize the central bank. Or use Ellen Brown’s The Public Bank Solution.
Talk about unconstitutional.
Yes, this is a very important point. For anybody who wants to investigate this, the section of the TPP you want to read about is the so-called Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). Parties to the TPP agree that when foreign corporations file lawsuits against them, the decision will be taken by a court at the WTO. This has already happened under NAFTA, with the plaintiff corporations (US-based multinationals) suing for damages and legal fees. I.e., “You will pay us for profits lost, and you will pay for our lawyers and the scientists (the ones we bought) who will prove that the science behind your environmental protection laws is bad, etc.” In effect, parties to the TPP are passing their national sovereignty to the WTO.
Thank you, Joseph K. That was informative. In spite of the secrecy surrounding the TPP one is aware of a great many pernicious effects of the treaty. I expected great resistance by those whom Washington wished to “entrap.” I am greatly surprised to see it agreed upon so readily. Can you tell us what are the positive features that have caused these nations to become members? I suppose their is a reduction in tariffs? What else?
Bribes and corporate directorships rewards once leaving office.
RR
I agree with RR: people have been bought off bribes and promises of cushy positions in corporations. It is sad but we should really not be surprised. The governments of the parties to the TPP are already largely owned by corporations, are already quite corrupt, so this isn’t really a big change from business as usual. It’s a much bigger sell out, for sure, but governments have been selling their citizens to corporate interests for a long time now.
The question is, as usual, how to get more people to wake the f*ck up about what is happening.
It hasn’t even been introduced in national parliaments yet. This cannot even be properly called a trade deal, but a corporate rights manifesto. Complete usurpation of National Sovereignty and individual right to self defence-against exploitation, pollution health and safety. Just terrible retrogressive Declaration of Liberty for Multinational Corporations.
RR