BEIJING (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s address to Hawaii’s East-West Center think tank this week drew attention primarily for its focus on the need for a constructive relationship with China to ensure regional peace and stability. However, Kerry touched also on U.S. relationships with five other key players in the region – Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand – some of them locked in contentious disputes with Beijing. He also dwelt at length on the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a free trade pact the U.S. is negotiating with 11 other nations. Here’s what Kerry had to say about those overlooked issues, along with some background explanation.
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THE TRANS-PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
WHAT KERRY SAID: “It is a state-of-the-art, 21st century trade agreement, and it is consistent not just with our shared economic interests, but also with our shared values.”
THE BACKSTORY: The free trade pact known as the TPP is a key component of President Barack Obama’s efforts to boost American exports to the growing economies of Asia. It would also serve to assert U.S. influence in the region in the face of an ascendant China, which is not included in the negotiations. However, negotiations have been bogged down over differences with Japan and others on access to sectors such as automobiles and agricultural products. It also faces opposition from U.S. labor groups and lawmakers in Obama’s own Democratic Party who argue it could leave U.S. workers vulnerable to competition from countries with lower labor costs.