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禁止中國入內的TPP俱樂部?

24/05/2013|戴維•皮林|金融時報
新西蘭、越南、秘魯、日本和美國有兩個共同之處。首先,它們全都希望加入一個初具雛形的貿易協定,即《跨太平洋戰略經濟夥伴關系協定》(TPP),這是自世貿組織(WTO)多哈回合談判破裂以來自由貿易舞臺上上演的最大一齣戲。其次,它們全都不是中國。


這兩個共同之處密切相關。盡管沒有人會公開這麽說,但TPP的目標其實就是創建一個將全球第二大經濟體排除在外的“高標準”貿易協定。目前希望加入TPP的12個國家(除了上述5國,還包括加拿大、墨西哥、智利、馬來西亞、新加坡、文萊澳大利亞),其經濟產值合計占到全球的40%貿易額合計占到全球的約三分之一這是一個“禁止中國入內”的大型俱樂部。
這麽做的動機有兩個。第一個動機是想把時鐘撥回到2001年中國加入WTO之前。許多政客、工會和企業現在都對準許中國加入WTO後悔不已。獲準進入全球市場讓中國獲得了巨大的提振。但有人認為,中國為此付出的代價卻很小。加入WTO並未阻止中國“操縱”人民幣匯率,未阻止它操縱招標程序,未阻止它將廉價資金輸送給大型國企,也未阻止它系統性地藐視知識產權規則。有人認為,中國只知索取不知付出、而且還搞欺騙這些人其實忽略了一個事實:今天的發達經濟體(包括英國、美國和日本),全都在其經濟騰飛階段大力推行過重商主義政策。但這些人就是要這樣認為
第二個動機聽起來正好與第一個相反。它是想創建一個極其強大、極有吸引力的組織,從而讓中國感到有必要改正其錯誤做法以加入該組織。為了推動這一目標,TPP的規則將在某些領域對中國不利。一個例子是原產地規則。按照TPP的規定,產於(比如說)越南並輸往美國的服裝,其關稅將降為零。這將對越南規模業已可觀的服裝業產生潛在的巨大提振。但要想享受零關稅,越南就必須得從TPP成員國(可能性最大的是美國)進口制衣原料,比如棉花。就目前而言,沒錯,越南龐大服裝業所需的很大一部分棉花是從中國進口的。
那麽,你如何設計一個可將中國排除在外卻能向越南之類國家敞開大門的俱樂部呢?畢竟,越南也是一個擁有龐大國企、監管不透明而且極度藐視知識產權的指令性經濟體。TPP旨在消除這種種“罪惡”。瞭解越南TPP談判內情的人士表示,TPP的目標是推動越南政府徹底改革其國有部門。往好里說,這是一廂情願,往壞里說,這是自欺欺人。到了緊要關頭,能夠決定是否接納越南以及其他幾個潛在TPP成員國的,將更多的是政治因素、而非經濟因素。
之所以這麽說,是因為TPP本身至少在一定程度上是一個政治項目。TPP是一個“只禁止中國入內的俱樂部”,這一事實對日本來說具有決定性意義。走民族主義路線的日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe),將TPP成員國身份視為與那些大國拉近關系的一個機會。最近他宣佈日本會加入TPP談判時表示,TPP將有助於日本的“安全”(這幾乎不在TPP的正式職能範圍內);他還提到了TPP成員國享有共同的“自由、民主、基本人權和法治價值觀”。這段描述刻意把中國排除在這類國家之外,但不知怎地把越南(一個威權主義共產國家)和文萊(一個伊斯蘭蘇丹國)包括了進來。
由於需要接納如此五花八門的國家,TPP談判談了這麽長時間也就不足為奇了。本周,相關國家將在利馬舉行第17輪談判。完成談判的截止日期已經過去一年有餘。人們預計,最早也得到2014年上半年才能完成談判
與所有好的自由貿易協定一樣,TPP自然會在很大程度上限制保護主義以及對特殊利益集團的遷就。日本將不再保護大米產業,而美國將不再保護糖業。毫無疑問,加拿大和新西蘭將希望保護本國的奶農。TPP還需要謹慎斟酌關於“操縱匯率”的措辭以讓美國製造商感到滿意:這里的竅門是把中國剔除出去(人民幣兌美元在8年時間里上漲了40%),把日本包括進來(日元兌美元在不到8個月的時間里就下跌了25%)。
由於需要保持這種巧妙的“靈活性”,因此TPP最終協定中不會包含什麽太具挑戰性的內容。盡管如此,反對TPP進程的人士仍表示,TPP已被大企業劫持、而且談判過程很不透明。他們聲稱,TPP規則違背了國內法律,可能危及從勞工標準到全面保健等各個事項。他們表示,專利保護規則或導致使用仿製藥的難度加大,衛生標準規則可能影響糧食安全。嚴格遵守版權保護規則可能影響網絡自由。這樣的擔憂還有很多。由於有這些擔憂,若想讓TPP有一絲希望得以簽署(更別提隨後還需得到各成員國議會批準),往協定內容里“摻水”似乎是不可避免的。
即使遭到稀釋,TPP也可令越南之類的國家以及日本受益,辦法是給予前者優惠市場準入、推動後者進行工農業改革。不過,它無法把時鐘撥回到從前中國這只“貓”早已鑽出了口袋。
原文链接:http://big5.ftchinese.com/story/001050577?full=y


The Containment Fallacy: China and the TPP

24/05/2013|Mireya Solís |The Brookings Institution
In recent commentary for the Financial Times, David Pilling argues that the central objective of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations is the exclusion of China. In his view, the desire to build an “anyone but China” club is due both to the perception that China got an easy pass when it joined the WTO and has continued to flaunt international trade and investment rules; and to the articulation of a larger political strategy to marginalize this emerging superpower. Pilling goes on to predict that the TPP will fail to deliver major liberalization as the traditional pattern of shielding sensitive sectors will emerge, and admonishes that only a much diluted trade agreement faces a realistic chance of ratification given the fractured consensus on the new proposed rules. In this rendition, the TPP appears politically myopic and economically irrelevant.
The argument that the TPP is a club that bars Chinese entry is inaccurate and unhelpful. China, like any other APEC economy, has the right to request entry into the TPP. Whether the Chinese leadership will judge TPP membership to be in their country’s national interest and whether TPP members can be persuaded that China is prepared to abide by the negotiated disciplines is a separate matter. But it is important to dispel the notion that the TPP precludes Chinese entry. In fact, this trade agreement scores better than most in incorporating an accession mechanism that has already delivered membership expansion from four to twelve members –now comprising 40% of world GDP. More fundamentally, it is hard to understand why TPP countries would pursue the counter-productive and unfeasible goal of marginalizing China. China sits at the apex of the world economy as it ranks number two in share of world GDP and is at the center of global supply chains. A trade agreement that by fiat sought to defy these fundamental economic realities would be foolhardy indeed. Hence the TPP concept is expansive: it aims to eventually develop an Asia-Pacific wide platform of economic integration, not to draw lines encircling China.
If Chinese exclusion were the selling point of the TPP for countries like Japan, then one would be hard pressed to explain why the Japanese government is concurrently negotiating two major trade agreements with China: a trilateral FTA in Northeast Asia and an East Asian trade agreement known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). And the same is true for all other Asian countries in the TPP who already partake in the ASEAN-China FTA and are participating in the RCEP talks. The “us versus them” dynamic of security alliances is not really applicable to free trade agreements. The noodle bowl that characterizes the maze of FTAs illustrates the fact that in the world of international trade overlapping memberships render moot purely exclusive arrangements.
Ascribing an anti-China objective to the TPP is not helpful on three main fronts: 1) it provides political cover to protectionist interests, who argue that they should not be asked to undertake painful economic adjustments for the sake of trade agreements driven by geopolitical concerns; 2) it sends a chilling message to prospective members, who may fear that in joining TPP they will be seen as enlisted in the anti-China camp; and 3) it will discourage China from finding points of convergence with the TPP agenda if this is seen as capitulating to an American strategy of containment.
The most fundamental challenge to the TPP project vis-à-vis China is not that it is built around a faulty notion of containment, but rather that it may not constitute a powerful enoughenticement to propel China to sign on to these new standards on trade and investment. China so far has reacted by accelerating its own trade initiatives in Asia. The risk that the United States and China will remain for the foreseeable future in separate trade groupings, without a significant bilateral dialogue on trade and investment, is very real. TPP negotiators cannot postpone the task of fashioning a strategy to engage China until after the TPP agreement is completed. They must be mindful of the fact that rules must be evaluated both in terms of their quality and dissemination potential. China must see in the new trade agenda a deal not unlike its accession to the WTO: while hefty commitments are to be expected, the accompanying domestic reforms will pay off handsomely in terms of improved economic performance.
Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies
原文链接:http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/up-front/posts/2013/05/24-china-transpacific-partnership-solis

TPP:美国汽车行业和工会的想法牵制日本
09/06/2013|矢泽俊树日本经济新闻

围绕环太平洋经济合作协议(TPP),美国国会的一部分议员正在推动对加入成员国诱导货币贬值进行报复的“汇率条款”。此举意在根据美国汽车行业和工会的想法牵制日本。虽然奥巴马政府对此持慎重态度,但加上声讨中国压低人民币汇率的势力,美国在货币贬值问题上的强硬言论有可能愈演愈烈。

  美国国会众议院230名朝野两党议员于6月6日向总统奥巴马发出文件,要求在TPP规则中加入有关汇率的特别条款

  文件指出“在TPP中,应对汇率操纵的举措不可或缺”,估计背后的含义是在成员国为获得出口竞争力而过度采取汇率干预等行动时,将采取针对来自有关国家的进口产品征收报复性关税等措施。

  推动议员提出上述议案的是猛烈反对日本参加TPP的美国福特汽车等汽车巨头。收集签名的核心议员都是在汽车巨头大本营密歇根州当选的众议院议员Dingell(民主党)等倾向于汽车行业的对日强硬派。汽车行业推动政治力量展开游说的迹象非常明显。

  这种行动与TPP谈判日程有密切关系。日本在经过美国国会90天的审核期之后,将自7月下旬在马来西亚举行的下届TPP扩大谈判会议起正式参加谈判。在参加谈判后,在推进TPP谈判的同时,日美将开始就汽车市场开放和非关税壁垒展开磋商。

  美方的意图是加强对日压力,迫使日本作出更大让步。在与日本之间的汽车行业事前磋商中,美国已经获得维持现行关税等一定成果。很多观点认为,此次推动汇率条款,作出姿态的含义很明显,实际发动对日制裁的意图微乎其微。

  日本政府内部越来越多观点担心,如果美国国会针对日本诱导日元贬值的批评日趋尖锐,有可能出现不测事态。

  日本方面相关人士担心的“最坏情况”的是,在汇率条款未能成功加入TPP时,美国国会自行把针对贸易伙伴国货币贬值的制裁形成立法

  美国国会在日美贸易摩擦加剧的上世纪80年代后半期,曾声称贸易伙伴国的商业惯例不公正,进而单方面制定了对此进行制裁的“超级301条款”。日本政府一名高管称,此次也“不能否定该条款复活的可能”。


(矢泽俊树 华盛顿报道)



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