WikiLeaks has published a new set of documents that reveal intricate details of the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations in Singapore.
Earlier in November, WikiLeaks had published a rare draft of the TPP treaty, which disclosed that the U.S. was subtly pushing for stronger intellectual property (IP) rights (read the PDF file of the full TPP treaty IP chapter here).
"On 13 November 2013 WikiLeaks released the draft text of the crucial Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Intellectual Property chapter during the lead-up to a TPP chief negotiators' meeting in Salt Lake City on 19-24 November 2013. Today, 9 December 2013, WikiLeaks has released two more secret TPP documents that show the state of negotiations as the twelve TPP countries began supposedly final negotiations at a trade ministers' meeting in Singapore this week," per WikiLeaks.
The current revelations in the leaked document disclose that there is disagreement between countries on several issues.
"One document describes deep divisions between the United States and other nations, and "great pressure" being exerted by the US negotiators to move other nations to their position. The other document lists, country-by-country, the many areas of disagreement remaining. It covers intellectual property and thirteen other chapters of the draft agreement. This suggests that the TPP negotiations can only be concluded if the Asia-Pacific countries back down on key national interest issues, otherwise the treaty will fail altogether," per WikiLeaks.
The TPP originated as an insignificant free trade agreement between Chile, New Zealand, Brunei and Singapore - known as the P4 or Pacific 4. In 2008, the pact gained prominence when the U.S. and several other countries desired to join the same.
Two years later, in March 2012, negotiations for the TPP started with Australia, the U.S., Peru and Vietnam joining the original P4 countries. In due course, the eight countries were joined by Mexico, Canada, Malaysia and Japan.
The treaty covers nearly 40 percent of global GDP and over 25 percent of world trade and the negotiations are confidential. However, the TPP, which comprises 29 chapters or negotiating areas, has often come under criticism for the high levels of secrecy surrounding it.
Interestingly, the chapters or annexes of the treay are not available for public consumption and the public has no access to the draft text even though the treaty touches several issues with a public dimension like drug patents, copyright and the Internet.