Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event in Iowa on Oct. 7. The Democratic presidential hopeful has distanced herself from the Obama administration on a new Pacific trade pact. Photo: Reuters
EJ InsightToday, 08:25
US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday that she doesn’t support the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, distancing herself from the Obama administration on the new trade accord.
The agreement won’t do enough to crack down on currency manipulation or protect consumers from excessively high drug prices, Clinton said.
“The bar here is very high and, based on what I have seen, I don’t believe the agreement has met it,” Clinton said in a statement issued during a campaign swing through Iowa, Reuters reported.
“I don’t believe we can afford to keep giving new agreements the benefit of the doubt. The risks are too high that, despite our best efforts, they will end up doing more harm than good,” Clinton said.
The TPP deal, reached on Monday after marathon talks between the US and 11 Pacific Rim nations, aims to liberalize commerce in 40 percent of the world’s economy and would be a legacy-defining victory for Obama.
Clinton’s opposition, however, could help her shore up support from labor groups and liberal Democrats who oppose the pact out of concern it will cost manufacturing jobs and weaken environmental laws, Reuters noted.
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RC
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