In February 2016, the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a controversial new trade agreement covering 12 countries of the Asia-Pacific region, was signed in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The result of a US-driven process, the agreement aims to boost trade and investment among a select group of countries—excluding China. The TPP will have a major impact on farmers’ access to and control over seeds. But there is another “mega” trade deal sneaking into Asia: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). In this report, GRAIN looks at what RCEP might mean for farmers’ seeds in the region, in the context of the recently signed TPP.
New trade deals, harsher seed rules
Hot on the heels of the TPP, another regional trade agreement is currently being negotiated, which will push restrictions on farmers’ seeds. Less well known than the TPP, RCEP will include the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN): Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. It will also include six regional partners that already have free trade agreements (FTAs) with ASEAN: Australia, China, India, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. While the TPP accounts for 800 million people and 13% of world trade, RCEP will cover more than four times the population—affecting 3.5 billion people and 12% of world trade.[1]
Like other FTAs, RCEP will be broad in scope, covering a range of issues from trade in goods and services to investment, economic and technical cooperation, intellectual property, competition and dispute settlement. Often considered a “tamer” version of the TPP, many expect RCEP to be more favourable to low and