Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - The Commerce Ministry of Thailand is pushing forcabinet approval for the country's bid to join the Comprehensive andProgressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) amid fierceopposition from civil groups which have argued the move will have an adverseimpact on food security and access to medicines, local media reported.
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has forwarded a proposal for Thailand'sbid to join the pact to the cabinet through the Secretariat of the Cabinet, theBangkok Post quoted Auramon Supthaweethum, Director-General of the Trade NegotiationsDepartment under the Commerce Ministry, as saying.
However, it is still not known if the matter will be put on the agenda of acabinet meeting tomorrow, Auramon said.
The International Economic Policy Committee previously assigned the departmentto prepare the proposal after a study on the pros and cons of the CPTPP impactwas completed.
According to Auramon, the study has taken into account all related issues,particularly access to medicines and compulsory licensing under the agreementon trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights among member nationsof the World Trade Organisation.
If Thailand does not join the pact, it will lose an opportunity and beovertaken by neighbouring countries Singapore and Vietnam which have alreadyjoined the pact, she said.
Meanwhile, Thai farmers and civil society organisations expressed concernsabout the impact of the new pact's intellectual property provisions, whichprevent them from saving and reusing seeds that contain patented plantmaterials. But officials insist farmers would still have the right to collectand reuse seeds, but only for non-commercial purposes.
Critics have also been concerned about some CPTPP provisions' impact on accessto affordable medicines as access to medicines is related to the protection ofintellectual property rights and patents.
A study by Bolliger & Company Thailand, which was hired by the department,found participation in the CPTPP would boost Thailand's GDP by 0.12 percentagepoints in revenue a year.
The CPTPP is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam./.
Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has forwarded a proposal for Thailand'sbid to join the pact to the cabinet through the Secretariat of the Cabinet, theBangkok Post quoted Auramon Supthaweethum, Director-General of the Trade NegotiationsDepartment under the Commerce Ministry, as saying.
However, it is still not known if the matter will be put on the agenda of acabinet meeting tomorrow, Auramon said.
The International Economic Policy Committee previously assigned the departmentto prepare the proposal after a study on the pros and cons of the CPTPP impactwas completed.
According to Auramon, the study has taken into account all related issues,particularly access to medicines and compulsory licensing under the agreementon trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights among member nationsof the World Trade Organisation.
If Thailand does not join the pact, it will lose an opportunity and beovertaken by neighbouring countries Singapore and Vietnam which have alreadyjoined the pact, she said.
Meanwhile, Thai farmers and civil society organisations expressed concernsabout the impact of the new pact's intellectual property provisions, whichprevent them from saving and reusing seeds that contain patented plantmaterials. But officials insist farmers would still have the right to collectand reuse seeds, but only for non-commercial purposes.
Critics have also been concerned about some CPTPP provisions' impact on accessto affordable medicines as access to medicines is related to the protection ofintellectual property rights and patents.
A study by Bolliger & Company Thailand, which was hired by the department,found participation in the CPTPP would boost Thailand's GDP by 0.12 percentagepoints in revenue a year.
The CPTPP is a trade agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam./.
VNA
