- Title: Closing out APEC, Obama says not moving forward with TPP would undermine U.S.
- Date: 21st November 2016
- Summary: LIMA, PERU (NOVEMBER 20, 2016) (REUTERS) U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, ENTERS BRIEFING MEDIA VARIOUS OF OBAMA AT LECTERN WIDE OF NEWSER (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "My meeting yesterday with my fellow leaders of the Trans Pacific Partnership was a chance to reaffirm our commitment to the TPP, with its high standards, strong protections for workers, the environment, intellectual property and human rights. Our partners made very clear during the meeting that they want to move forward with TPP. Preferably, they'd like to move forward with the United States. A number of countries are already starting to ratify TPP. At the same time, we are already hearing calls for a less ambitious trade agreement in the region with lower standards, lower protections for workers, lower protections for the environment. That kind of agreement would obviously exclude U.S. workers and businesses and access to those markets. So for all those reasons, I believe that TPP is a plus for America's economy, America's workers, American jobs. I think not moving forward would undermine our position across the region, our ability to shake the rules of global trade in a way that reflects our interests and our values." MORE OF MEDIA WIDE OF NEWSER (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "There are very important countries. Like a China. If it weren't for China's cooperation, we couldn't have gotten the Paris agreement done. But China's not the one who was going around organising 200 nations to sign on to a Paris agreement, or putting together the paper, or the policy outlines, or the conceptual framework. Russia is a very significant military power, but they're not worrying right now about how to rebuild after a hurricane in Haiti. We are." WIDE OF NEWSER AUDIENCE AT CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "And (Bashar) Assad, as a consequence, has been emboldened. This is a man who has decided that destroying his country, turning it to rubble, and seeing its population scattered or killed was worth for him to cling to power when he had the option to peacefully engage in a transition that could have kept the country intact. That's his mentality. That's not a mentality we support. That's a mentality that the Russians and Iranians have been willing to support." WIDE OF NEWSER MORE OF MEDIA OBAMA AT LECTERN (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT, BARACK OBAMA, SAYING: "With respect to President Putin, I didn't have a meeting. We talked briefly while we were in between sessions. And the conversation I had with him was consistent with the conversations I have had with him over the previous several months, indicating to him that we are still deeply concerned about bloodshed and chaos that's being sown by constant bombing attacks by Assad and the Russian military against populations in Aleppo, and the need for us to arrive first at some sort of humanitarian ceasefire, and begin moving towards a political transition of some sorts." OBAMA LEAVING NEWSER
- Embargoed: 6th December 2016 09:03
- Keywords: APEC TPP Barack Obama Lima Russia Syria Aleppo Vladimir Putin Assad
- Location: LIMA, PERU
- City: LIMA, PERU
- Country: Peru
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00159DY98N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: While speaking at the end of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima Sunday (November 20), U.S. President Barack Obama said not moving forward with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact would undermine the U.S. position across the Asia-Pacific region.
Pacific rim leaders, for their part, said on Sunday that they were committed to fighting "all forms of protectionism," and encouraged signatories of the TPP trade pact to continue supporting it despite fears it may not have a future in its current form.
APEC talks in Lima have been dominated by doubts over the future of free trade and in particular the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact following the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.
Trump strongly criticized the TPP - which as it stands includes the United States but not China - during an election campaign notable for his strong criticism of U.S. free trade deals.
"My meeting yesterday with my fellow leaders of the Trans Pacific Partnership was a chance to reaffirm our commitment to the TPP, with its high standards, strong protections for workers, the environment, intellectual property and human rights. Our partners made very clear during the meeting that they want to move forward with TPP. Preferably, they'd like to move forward with the United States. A number of countries are already starting to ratify TPP. At the same time, we are already hearing calls for a less ambitious trade agreement in the region with lower standards, lower protections for workers, lower protections for the environment. That kind of agreement would obviously exclude U.S. workers and businesses and access to those markets. So for all those reasons, I believe that TPP is a plus for America's economy, America's workers, American jobs. I think not moving forward would undermine our position across the region, our ability to shake the rules of global trade in a way that reflects our interests and our values," Obama said at a news conference at the end of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima.
Obama also said he had heard calls for a less ambitious trade agreement that would exclude U.S. workers and businesses at a news conference at the APEC summit in Peru, the last stop of his last scheduled trip abroad as president.
He made clear his support for American leadership in global trade.
"There are very important countries. Like a China. If it weren't for China's cooperation, we couldn't have gotten the Paris agreement done. But China's not the one who was going around organising 200 nations to sign on to a Paris agreement, or putting together the paper, or the policy outlines, or the conceptual framework. Russia is a very significant military power, but they're not worrying right now about how to rebuild after a hurricane in Haiti. We are," he said.
Speaking on the Middle East, President Barack Obama on Sunday said he was "not optimistic" about the short-term prospects in Syria.
Obama said that it became hard for moderate opposition forces to hold ground once Russia and Iran decided to back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with an air campaign.
"And (Bashar) Assad, as a consequence, has been emboldened. This is a man who has decided that destroying his country, turning it to rubble, and seeing its population scattered or killed was worth for him to cling to power when he had the option to peacefully engage in a transition that could have kept the country intact. That's his mentality. That's not a mentality we support. That's a mentality that the Russians and Iranians have been willing to support," Obama said.
He went on to underscore his view of Russia's role.
"With respect to President Putin, I didn't have a meeting. We talked briefly while we were in between sessions. And the conversation I had with him was consistent with the conversations I have had with him over the previous several months, indicating to him that we are still deeply concerned about bloodshed and chaos that's being sown by constant bombing attacks by Assad and the Russian military against populations in Aleppo, and the need for us to arrive first at some sort of humanitarian ceasefire, and begin moving towards a political transition of some sorts," he said.
Some leaders have suggested that the 12-nation TPP free trade pact could continue without the United States, while others have said that would be impossible without a complete renegotiation.
In parallel, China has been selling an alternate vision for regional trade by promoting the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which does not include the Americas. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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