San Diego, California—Last July 2 to 10, activists from Southern California and various countries such as New Zealand and Canada organized a week of protests against the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a new US-led trade agreement aimed to seize markets in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 13th round of TPPA talks, held at the Hilton Bay Front Hotel, was led by the government of the US and other countries currently taking part in the negotiations: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The Philippine government is one of the countries interested in becoming part of the TPPA.

But Filipino organizations such as Bayan USA, Gabriela USA, International League of Peoples Struggles (ILPS)-US, NAFCON USA, Anakbayan USA, and Habi Arts opposed the TPPA, saying that the US government’s neoliberal offensive will lead to “economic sabotage” in the region. The groups are part of the STOP TPPA Coalition.

Last July 5, during panel discussions on neoliberal globalization, panelists often mentioned: “The TPPA is like NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) on steroids.”

According to the groups, the TPPA has the potential to affect policies on migration, agriculture, environment, consumer safety, financial regulations, internet protocols, and government procurement, which are among the agreement’s 21 areas of concern. They claim that it will worsen unemployment and further depress wages in countries in the region, including the Philippines.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a US-led free trade agreement that aims to achieve “economic integration” and facilitate business transactions in the Asia Pacific. It was initiated by the US government in March 2010, the same year that US Secretary Hillary Clinton boasted of the pursuit of an “American Pacific Century” during the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Honolulu.

“The TPPA negotiations are carried out in secret. This is to achieve the US and negotiating parties’ objective of railroading the deal void of any direct intervention or scrutiny from the public, including civil society,” Bayan USA said in a statement.

The TPPA is another version of NAFTA, a trade agreement between US, Canada and Mexico which eventually eliminated all tariffs and trade restrictions. NAFTA allowed US and Canadian businesses to transfer and use the cheap labor and raw materials in Mexico, which to this day cause the forced migration of peoples, abuse of natural resources, and destruction of its industrial base.

With the failing economy of the US, TPPA will allow the US to force into countries in the Asia Pacific more policies of liberalization, privatization and deregularization, according to Kuusela Hilo, ILPS-US country co-coordinator.

Meanwhile, according to Ivan Penetrante, chairperson of Anakbayan San Diego, “It’s not a coincidence that the TPPA is being pushed by President Obama at the same time of a military pivot to the Asia Pacific. The Asia Pacific is home to 60 per cent of the world’s population, and for the global one per cent, that’s a lot consumers and resources for them to exploit.”

It is estimated that two-thirds of all US agricultural exports are sent to the region. JP Morgan Asset Management described the Asia Pacific as the “workshop of the world,” since most of the goods used worldwide are produced in the region. “In order to survive the economic crisis, Washington must ensure economic hegemony over the Asia-Pacific market,” said Bayan USA.

The group added that the agreement is also meant to contain the growing economic power of China. “It is obvious that Washington is using the TPPA to contain China’s emerging economic scope of influence in the region by intentionally excluding China from the negotiating table. As the US seeks to maintain profitable trade relations with China, it also seeks to isolate and contain its greatest competitor for the Asia Pacific market,” the group said.

During the panel discussions, concerns were raise about how the TPPA will lead to more corporate landgrabbing and displacement of indigenous peoples, privatization of basic utilities and services such as health and education, and the removal of tariffs that protect local producers and industries.

Filipino groups called for respect for the sovereignty and right to self-determination, including the right to self-industrialization and economic self-reliance, of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. As Bayan USA said, “The strength of people’s movements against the 1 per cent are increasing as a response to global economic crisis. The TPPA will only aggravate the already desperate economy, placing the heavy burden upon the working-class poor and the 99 per cent of the population who will not receive any benefit from this agreement.”

Watch a video of the protest against TPPA: