© Stefan Wermuth / Reuters
The New Zealand authorities say the agreement will continue to undergo legal review.
Text of agreement
The TPP, headed by the US and including Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, has been widely criticized for being surrounded with secrecy and reached behind closed doors.
Australia's Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb welcomed the publication of the agreement and added the bloc members had agreed to release details as soon as possible.
"Today's release honors that commitment and provides the Australian public with an opportunity to examine the text and more fully understand any areas of the negotiation that are of interest to them," he said.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement covers 40 percent of the world's economy. Negotiations lasted five years. US President Barack Obama said one of the main targets of the accord was to oust Chinese dominance in the region.
"When more than 95 percent of our potential customers live outside our borders, we can't let countries like China write the rules of the global economy. We should write those rules, opening new markets to American products while setting high standards for protecting workers and preserving our environment," he said in October.
The deal must now be ratified by the member countries. The US Congress remains skeptical about the TPP, which was a long-term goal of the Obama administration.
Say what you will about this chain of Islands in the deep South Pacific, but New Zealand has again lead the way with Western governance that offers, at least in part, some real openness about its workings, and allows its citizenry the opportunity to observe what it is doing and publicly comment on same.
That Kiwis were the first to make the TPP terms and conditions available for scrutiny says volumes about the state of affairs in Wellington versus Washington.
And while NZ did sign up for the TPP (despite REAL misgivings about same openly expressed by trade negotiators), what would you expect a tiny population of just over 4 million to do in these circumstances? If Russia's rouble can be annihilated by the Western financial oligarchs at will, simply for being out of line with the DC war monger's wishes, what would happen to the NZ dollar and export economy if it openly thumbed its nose at the Hegemon's corporate plans to dominate trade in the Pacific region (and contain China economically)?
By disclosing the terms of the TPP as quickly as possible, Kiwis once again lead the way with an openness to governance that should be the model for all, and cause for envy for most.
Good on ya'. Wellington!!
Now let's wait and see where that debate leads. But at least people will be able to have an intelligent discussion now, and not one based on speculation and guesswork. And that's a good start.