Obama’s Asian persuasion tour

Last April 23 began the first day of Barack Obama’s four-nation visit in Asia, landing in Japan for the first leg of the tour. According to CNN, “Obama's appearances in Japan will be tinged with formality — meetings with the royal family, a stop at the Meiji shrine and a protocol-bound state dinner… Japan's first state visit by an American president in almost two decades comes as the United States works to reassure Abe and other Asian leaders that the United States remains committed to turning foreign policy focus on them.”

Meanwhile, Channel NewsAsia writes: “Ahead of his visit, protests in the capital Tokyo are intensifying with members of the Labour Union, citizens groups and farmers coming together in front of the Prime Minister's Office to voice their opposition against Japan concluding a regional trade pact called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).”

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a proposed multilateral trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Chile, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam, which can be seen as the US’ attempt to control the increasing economic dominance of China.

But various sectors around the world have criticized the TPP for the negotiation’s secrecy, as well as pushing for stricter intellectual property provisions, which many internet freedom activists fear

The TPP also requires countries to lessen its restrictions on foreign trade in order to join the said agreement, such as in the cases of Japan and in the Philippines. Channel NewsAsia also writes that: “Tokyo is not willing to lift all tariffs, especially in its highly-protected areas of rice, wheat, pork, beef, sugar and dairy products.”

It is also seen that the Philippine Congress, led by administration ally Rep. Sonny Belmonte, is aggressively pushing for charter change to revise the current nationalist provisions in the constitution, in order to join the TPP.

Under the present 1987 constitution, Philippine citizens can own up to 60% of businesses while foreigners can only own up to 40%. Known as the “60/40 rule”, it has been called “restrictive” by advocates of foreign direct investment (FDI) and liberal-leaning economists.

On the other hand, various groups led by the umbrella organization Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) held a solidarity protest in time for Obama’s first day in Asia. The protesters were blocked by policemen as they pushed their way towards the US Embassy. After a short program, they ran towards the embassy only to be fired upon by water cannon (NB: unfortunately, I was also hit by it).

Bayan, along with other groups, condemned the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC) which allows American forces to build facilities inside Philippine bases. Bayan’s secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. likened the plan of inviting US military to the country against Chinese ‘bullying’ to inviting a rapist in one’s household to protect themselves from a town bully.

The protesters said that they would come back when Obama visits the Philippines, the final leg of his Asian tour.