NEWS

現在交渉中のメガFTAの一つ「東アジア地域包括的経済連携（RCEP）」の
24回目の交渉会合がニュージーランドで10月18日～10月27日まで行われます。

今回の交渉のポイントは
物品貿易、サービス貿易、投資、原産地規則、知的財産、電子商取引等
の予定となっております。

RCEPは（Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership）の略。
ASEAN10か国＋6か国（日本、中国、韓国、オーストラリア、ニュージーランド、インド）
が参加する広域経済連携でいわゆるメガFTA、包括協定というEPAです。

アメリカのトランプ政権の保護主義政策に対抗する点で一致すると
早い進展があるかもしれませんね。

経済産業省記事”東アジア地域包括的経済連携（RCEP）交渉の第24回会合が開催されます”より

The New York Timesによるとアメリカ側の示すNAFTA再交渉の内容に
メキシコが前向きであるとの事です。

この２国間における合意はカナダにとって脅威となる可能性があり、
早く決断をしないと流れから取り残されてしまうという意見もあります。

トランプ氏は「もはやNAFTAではなくアメリカとメキシコ間のFTAだ」と
述べております。

メキシコ側もカナダに対し３国間でうまくいくようにアプローチする
姿勢でいるようです。

現時点での改NAFTA案は以下のようになっております。

Rules of Origin and Market Access

– 75 percent of auto content must be made in the U.S. and Mexico

– 40-45 percent of auto content must be made by workers earning at least $16 per hour

– stronger rules of origin, including for industrial products such as chemicals, steel-intensive products, glass, and optical fiber

– procedures that streamline certification and verification of rules of origin and new cooperation and enforcement provisions to help prevent duty evasion before it happens

– new provisions for transparency in import licensing and export licensing procedures

– prohibition on (a) requirements to use local distributors for importation, (b) restrictions on the importation of commercial goods that contain cryptography, and (c) import restrictions on used goods to remanufactured goods

– updated provisions for duty-free temporary admission of goods to cover shipping containers or other substantial holders used in the shipment of goods

– new provisions covering trade in specific manufacturing sectors, including information and communication technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetic products, and chemical substances

Textiles and Apparel

– limit on rules that allow for some use of non-NAFTA inputs in textile and apparel trade

– requirement that sewing thread, pocketing fabric, narrow elastic bands, and coated fabric, when incorporated in apparel and other finished products, be made in the region for those finished products to qualify for trade benefits

– textile-specific verification and customs cooperation provisions that provide new tools for strengthening customs enforcement and preventing fraud and circumvention

Agriculture

– agreement to not use export subsidies or World Trade Organization special agricultural safeguards for products exported to each other’s market

– improved commitments to increase transparency and consultation regarding the use of export restrictions for food security purposes

– when supporting producers, agreement to consider using domestic support measures that have minimal or no trade distorting or production effects

– improved transparency for import checks

– new provisions on geographical indications

– first-ever agreement to protect the confidentiality of proprietary formulas for food products in the same manner for domestic and imported products

IPR

– enforcement authorities must be able to stop goods suspected of being pirated or counterfeited at all areas of entry and exit

– enforcement against counterfeits and piracy occurring on a commercial scale

– first U.S. FTA to require all of the following to protect U.S. rights holders from trade secret theft, including by state-owned enterprises: civil remedies, criminal remedies, prohibition on impeding licensing of trade secrets, protections for trade secrets during the litigation process, and penalties for government officials who wrongfully disclose trade secrets

– full national treatment for copyright and related rights

– minimum copyright term extended to 75 years for works like song performances

– ten years of data protection for biologic drugs and expanded scope of products eligible for protection

Digital Trade

– prohibition on application of customs duties and other discriminatory measures to digital products distributed electronically (e-books, videos, music, software, games, etc.)

– limit on government ability to require disclosure of proprietary computer source code and algorithms

De Minimis

– Mexico will increase from $50 to $100 the value of shipments that may enter free of customs duties or taxes and with minimal formal entry procedures

Financial Services

– prohibition on local data storage requirements when a financial regulator has the access to data it needs to fulfill its regulatory and supervisory mandate

– updated provisions to allow for the cross-border transfer of data

– a separate annex on commitments relating to cross-border trade, including application of the national treatment and market access obligation to an expanded list of cross-border services

Labor

– all labor provisions brought into core of the agreement and made enforceable

– commitment by Mexico to specific legislative actions to provide for the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining

– agreement to take measures to prohibit the importation of goods produced by forced labor, to address violence against workers exercising their labor rights, and to ensure that migrant workers are protected under labor laws

Environment

– all environment provisions brought into core of the agreement and made enforceable

– prohibition on some of the most harmful fisheries subsidies, such as those that benefit vessels or operators involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing

– new protections for marine species like whales and sea turtles, including a prohibition on shark-finning

– obligations to enhance the effectiveness of customs inspections of shipments containing wild fauna and flora at ports of entry and ensure strong enforcement to combat IUU fishing

– first-ever articles to improve air quality, prevent and reduce marine litter, support sustainable forest management, and ensure appropriate procedures for environmental impact assessments

For more information, please contact Nicole Bivens Collinson at (202) 730-4956.