Japan Hesitant to Invite China into TPP

Japan isn’t enthusiastic about inviting China into a pacific-rim trade deal abandoned by the U.S.A., fearing increased clout from Beijing and loosening the standards on what it calls “the gold standard for trade rules.”

Government officials don’t appear in a hurry to begin two-way trade talks with Washington, although some officials said they can’t rule it out. The Japanese Prime Minister said he won’t comment on trade talks with the U.S. until President Trump’s cabinet has been chosen and eventual policies become clearer.

Australia and New Zealand said they hope to save the Trans-Pacific Partnership by asking China and other countries to join in. Chile has invited the ministers from TPP countries, along with China and South Korea, to a summit in March to discuss how the deal can move forward, which won’t happen after U.S. withdrawal without changing the rules of the deal.

 

President Trump has put a 60-day review opportunity in place for his appointees and that will delay any pending regulations that were to be put in place by the Obama administration.

A Pork Network Dot Com article says the review period includes a new regulation put in place by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) called the Farmer Fair Practice Rules. The rule falls under the umbrella of the Packers and Stockyards Act, with the idea behind the rules to level the playing field for farmers who may have been retaliated against by meatpackers, especially contract poultry growers.

Several major Ag groups against the new rules include the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, the North American Meat Institute, and the National Chicken Council. Groups in favor of the change include the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, the National Farmers Union, and the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund. The new administration has until March 21 to act on the new GIPSA rules.

Source;  NAFB News

 

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