Growing uncertainty over fate of TPP deal

US Senator Bernie Sanders called on Saturday for the Democratic Party to abandon efforts to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal in Congress. His move follows a set-piece economic speech by Hillary Clinton last Thursday in which she re-emphasised her opposition to TPP, underlining growing global concerns about the prospect that after seven decades of Washington being at the forefront of efforts to liberalise the international economy, political backlash is killing off support for free trade.

In the face of these worries, the Obama administration will continue this week its August blitz to boost support within the United States for the 12-country TPP. At least 30 events are planned by the end of the month in a major mobilisation effort to build popular and congressional assent for the landmark trade and investment deal which is the biggest regional free trade agreement in history, and the largest trade deal struck since the 1994 completion of the Uruguay Round which created the World Trade Organization.

A reason for the big push, which moves in September to Capitol Hill, is the potential hammer blow to US prestige and leadership in the Asia-Pacific if TPP fails. Aside from the opposition to the deal of both Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, Mrs Clinton and Donald Trump respectively, US House Speaker Paul Ryan - who is a TPP advocate - recently said that "we don't have the votes" in Congress for the bill to be brought up before the end of Barack Obama's presidency, even in the "lame duck" session after November's elections.