THE TTALK QUOTES

On Global Trade & Investment

Published Three Times a Week By

The Global Business Dialogue, Inc.

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Email: Comments@gbdinc.org

No. 31 of 2015

THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015

Filed from Portland, Oregon

Click here for Monday's quote from Senator Maria Cantwell.

PRIME MINISTER ABE ON AMERICA

"Ladies and gentlemen, the finest asset the U.S. has to give to the world was hope, is hope, will be and must always be hope."

Shinzo Abe
April 29, 2015

CONTEXT (and Some Comment)

To rehearse what is already well known, yesterday Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first leader of his country to address a joint session of Congress. His grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, spoke in the House of Representatives in June 1957, but Prime Minister Abe is the first Japanese Prime Minister to speak to a Joint Session of both the House and Senate.

Yes, he expressed "deep remorse" over Japan's actions in the Second World War, and he acknowledged that Japan's "actions brought suffering to the peoples in Asian countries."

Yes, he talked about the importance of TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. More on that in a moment.

But it was what he said about America that struck us most forcefully. As a young student, Mr. Abe lived with a widow in California, Catherine Del Francia, who loved to cook and entertain and who frequently remembered her late husband with the comment, "You know he was much more handsome than Gary Cooper."

We don't doubt that for a minute, but the significance of the memory is that it infused everything Mr. Abe said about America with a special personal credibility. We believe Prime Minister Abe really meant it when he said, "America is an awesome country."

We will confess to wondering, however, whether that was nostalgia speaking or the judgment of a foreign leader capable of a clear-eyed assessment of contemporary America. A moment's reflection suggests it wasn't just nostalgia or even nostalgia plus diplomacy. After all, today's featured quote, the idea of hope as an American gift, wasn't simply a flower in the sands of unrelated rhetoric. It was the capstone to the Prime Minister's discussion of the horrific events of March 11, 2011, the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.

As Prime Minister Abe described it:

"The darkest night fell on Japan. But it was then we saw the U.S. armed forces rushing to Japan to the rescue at a scale never seen or heard before. Lots and lots of people from all corners of the U.S. extended the hand of assistance to the children in the disaster areas. .... You gave us something very, very precious. That was hope, hope for the future."

***

On TPP. Many were hoping, of course, that Prime Minister Abe would make a strong case for TPP, and he did not disappoint. A major element of TPP is the bilateral trade agreement between the United States and Japan that will be included within it. On that score, Mr. Abe said:

"As for the U.S. and Japan negotiations, the goal is near. Let us bring the TPP to a successful conclusion through our joint leadership."

Describing the wider agreement, Mr. Abe said:

"In the Pacific market, we cannot overlook sweatshops or burdens on the environment, nor can we simply allow free riders on intellectual property. No. Instead, we can spread our shared values around the world and have them take root: the rule of law, democracy, and freedom. And that is what TPP is all about.

"Furthermore, the TPP goes far beyond just economic benefits. It is also about our security. Long term, its strategic value is awesome. We should never forget that."

COMMENT

Before there can be a TPP agreement between the United States on the one hand and Japan plus ten other countries on the other, there has to be an agreement between Congress and the President on a mechanism for handling such agreements. That is trade promotion authority or TPA. And TPA is in trouble, according to a recent Politico report by Doug Palmer and others. "The House is currently dozens of votes short of being able to pass [the] legislation," they write.

We would like to think that reports like that are contemporary versions of Leon Panetta's famous 1993 statement to the effect that "NAFTA is dead" - a wake-up call that avoids the disaster. We'd like to think that, but we are not so sure.

No, a trade deal is not a world war, but something Prime Minister Abe said about the Second World War could in time come to haunt TPA and TPP. "History is harsh," he said. "What is done cannot be undone."

If TPA fails - and TPP with it - the world will draw its conclusions and move on, and America's leaders of tomorrow will be hard pressed to reclaim today's opportunities.

RELATED EVENTS

May 8 in Oregon. Both Reuters and The Oregonian are reporting that President Obama will be at the Nike campus, just west of here, next Friday morning, where he will talk about trade TPA and TPP.

May 8 in Washington. Keeping in mind the 3-hour difference, GBD Gavel Day 2015 will be held at about the same time, 12 noon to 2 p.m. in Washington. The centerpiece of that event will be a discussion of Trade Promotion Authority with key staff from the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees. If you're going to be in Washington a week from tomorrow, you should be at the GBD lunch. Click the title link for registration options and other details.

SOURCES & LINKS

Prime Minister Abe Addresses Congress takes you to the pages from the Congressional Record of April 29 with the text of Prime Minister Abe's speech.

Trade Bill in Trouble is a link to the Politico article mentioned in the Comment section above.

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R. K. Morris, Editor