The following is from JOE BIDEN RUIN THE WORLD, published on December 31, 2020, by Masahiro Miyazaki, on the strong recommendation of a leading reader friend.
He is the opposite of the so-called scholars who sit at their desks and read the Asahi Shimbun's editorials and is the equivalent of Umesao Tadao, who based his work as an ethnologist and anthropologist on fieldwork.
It is no exaggeration to say that he has surpassed Tadao Umesao in his vigorous research and writings to understand the present and achievements.
This book is full of facts that the majority of Japanese people do not know at all.
It is a must-read book not only for the Japanese people but for people all over the world.
P202
What China is aiming for in the RCEP
Perhaps because the economic impact of the new corona disaster is becoming increasingly severe, Japan's business community is placing excessive expectations on the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) signed by Prime Minister Kan.
The RCEP was signed between the 10 ASEAN member countries and their five FTA (Free Trade Agreement) partners, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea.
As it turns out, the business community's expectations were based on illusion and misjudgment, and the RCEP is nothing more than a pie in the sky.
There is no need to take China's hype seriously - or rather, its delusional hypocrisy - that RCEP will contribute to free trade because the GDP of the 15 RCEP member countries totals about $26 trillion, which is 30% of the world's GDP.
The RCEP was agreed upon at the 4th RCEP Summit held in Vietnam on November 15, 2020.
Prime Minister Suga, who participated online, signed the agreement on the same day. The media reported forward-looking that "a huge economic zone that will be a bulwark against protectionism has been born in Asia.
They seem to be accepting Beijing's propaganda without question, but the RCEP has 15 members compared to the TPP's 11.
The fact that the RCEP has more members than the TPP is the reason for the media's praise. However, the United States and India are not members of the RCEP.
The U.S. had no intention of joining the RCEP from the beginning. India was also quick to see through China's lies and withdrew from the RCEP.
Japan has already concluded a Japan-U.S. trade agreement with the U.S., similar to an FTA, and an EPA with India.
Knowing the economic power of the U.S. and India, the media's attitude of thinking that a trade mechanism in which the U.S. and India are not members will be effective is nothing short of bewildering.
Therefore, let's look back on the process from negotiation to establishment of TPP, which can be said to be a senior of RCEP.
The TPP began when the Obama administration of the United States suddenly said, "Why don't we create a global trade organization without China?
However, China opposed the idea, Japan was reluctant, and negotiations between Japan and the U.S. were settled "for now.
It was already clear that the U.S. Congress would not agree to ratify the treaty at the preliminary stage because it did not provide an absolute advantage to Japan.
The Trump administration took over, and the president himself announced that he would not join the TPP.
After all these twists and turns, the TPP became the "TPP 11" (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership), led by Japan.
Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Chile, and Mexico are member countries.
Of course, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, of which China and South Korea are not members, is viewed coldly by the U.S.
It was also criticized that the opportunism of the country advocating "free trade principle" was exposed to the United States, which had withdrawn even though it was a statement.
Now, China has rushed to form the RCEP, hoping to create an economic cooperation system without the U.S.
China had been reluctant to join the TPP, but its impatience with the escalating friction between the U.S. and China led it to take a more positive stance.
The breakdown of the 15 RCEP countries is as follows: China, South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Myanmar are "non-members of the TPP11.
"Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand will join the RCEP in overlap with the TPP11.
Canada, Peru, Chile, and Mexico, which are members of the TPP11, did not join.
The focus is on India, which is not a member of either the TPP11 or the RCEP.
It is not because India is stubborn, but because it is wise and in its national interest, the RCLP is riddled with problems.
The RCEP is a partnership agreement, and it is claimed that trade will increase as tariffs on 91% of items will be phased out, but this is rhetoric and not reality.
It is because it will protect some industrial and agricultural products.
For example, it will not eliminate the tariffs on Japanese sake and soy sauce until 21 years from now.
It will eliminate the tariffs on agricultural tractors and gasoline engines destined for China immediately.
The five tariffs that "will not be eliminated" are on five essential commodities: rice, wheat, cattle and pork, dairy products, and sugar.
On the surface, India cites "protection of agriculture" as the reason for its withdrawal, but its biggest problem is its deficit with China. If it rushes to join the WTO, it risks increasing its debt with China.
The U.S. is skeptical of the WTO itself and is growing increasingly distrustful of the economic benefits of multilateral relations, as it did when it withdrew from the TPP.
Although it has been paying attention to the RCEP, it is unlikely that the Biden administration will actively push for membership.
Even though it reached the agreement at the summit, ratification requires approval by the Diet of each country.
Japan hopes to complete the ratification by the end of 2021, but many ASEAN member countries have domestic conflicts over agricultural issues.
However, many ASEAN member countries have domestic conflicts over agricultural issues, and if there is a change in government, some of them may reverse the decision.
Australia, New Zealand, and other members of the British Commonwealth seem to have received some suggestions from Britain and the United States to join. In any case, it is expected to take at least several years before all the member countries reach the point of ratification.
China's goal in pushing for participation in the RCEP is to obtain "intellectual property rights" and "digital information.
"While seeking to "ensure the free flow of digital information overseas," the agreement includes a clause that "prohibits the demand of technology transfer to companies.
But will that country, which does not even abide by the basic rules, comply with these rules? Only a sycophant would think so.
This article continues.
