TPP今日将正式签字

Leaders of the 11-strong Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal are on the hunt for new members as they prepare for a formal signing ceremony in Chile today that will illustrate how the world is moving on without the US.

《跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》（Trans-Pacific Partnership，简称TPP）11个成员国的领导人正在物色新成员。这些领导人今日将在智利举行正式签字仪式，展示世界正如何在美国缺席的情况下继续前进。

Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and even the UK are all regarded as possible additions to a pact that lays down strong rules for trade in the most dynamic region of the world economy.

台湾、泰国、韩国、菲律宾、斯里兰卡甚至英国都被视为这一贸易协定的潜在新成员，该协定为全球最具经济活力地区的贸易制定了强有力的规则。

The drive to expand the TPP shows how a deal abandoned by Donald Trump in one of his first acts as US president has gained fresh momentum as a vehicle for free trade in Asia.

扩大TPP的努力表明，唐纳德?特朗普(Donald Trump)在就任美国总统后很快放弃的一项贸易协定，作为亚洲自由贸易的一个载具获得了新的动力。

“Once TPP becomes effective then we can start discussions on accession,” said Kazuyoshi Umemoto, Japan’s chief TPP negotiator. “TPP is aimed at an open, rule-based, multilateral, liberal trade system, so if any country is interested and willing to abide by the rules then we can talk about accession.”

“一旦TPP生效，我们就可以启动加入协定的讨论，”日本首席TPP谈判代表梅本和义表示。“TPP旨在建立一个开放、基于规则的多边自由贸易体系，所以如果任何国家有兴趣并且愿意遵守规则，那么我们可以讨论加入事宜。”

The TPP was originally envisaged as a vast regional trading agreement underpinning US geopolitical strategy in Asia under President Barack Obama. Following the US withdrawal, the remaining members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

TPP最初被设想为一项庞大的区域贸易协定，支持巴拉克?奥巴马(Barack Obama)总统领导下美国在亚洲奉行的地缘政治战略。美国退出后、剩余成员国是澳大利亚、文莱、加拿大、智利、日本、马来西亚、墨西哥、新西兰、秘鲁、新加坡和越南。

With the US no longer taking part, negotiators have suspended intellectual property provisions that favoured US technology and pharmaceutical companies. Trade ministers will meet in Santiago today to formalise the deal after resolving Canadian qualms.

考虑到美国不再参与，各国谈判代表们搁置了有利于美国科技和制药企业的知识产权条款。成员国贸易部长们今日将在圣地亚哥开会，在解决加拿大的疑虑后正式敲定该协定。

The TPP will enter into force after ratification by six of the eleven members. But in a sign of their enthusiasm, trade officials in the member countries are already talking about the possibility of expansion. Some TPP members remain cautious about the prospects for enlarging the trade bloc. “My focus is on concluding the agreement between the 11 of us,” Steven Ciobo, the Australian trade minister, said. “We each have our domestic ratification process we have to work through. I am a big believer that you don’t count your chickens until they hatch so let’s just bed down this agreement as it is now.”

TPP将在11个成员国中的6个批准后生效。但是突显积极情绪的一个迹象是，成员国的贸易官员们已经在谈论协议扩容的可能性。一些TPP成员国对扩大这个贸易集团的前景仍持谨慎态度。“我的焦点是在我们11个成员国之间达成协议，”澳大利亚贸易部长史蒂文?乔博(Steven Ciobo)表示。“大家都有国内的批准程序，我们得先走完这个程序。我很相信‘蛋未孵出别忙着数鸡’的道理，所以让我们先搞定目前形式的这个协定吧。”

Taiwan is one of the most enthusiastic potential members but officials in Taipei say the island’s complicated international status has been an obstacle for negotiators. China typically opposes countries working with Taiwan on a bilateral basis.

台湾是最积极的潜在成员之一，但台北的官员们表示，台湾的复杂国际地位一直是谈判代表的障碍。中国通常反对其他国家在双边基础上同台湾合作。

Charles Finny, a former New Zealand diplomat and now partner at Saunders Unsworth in Wellington, said Taiwan had shown it meets the necessary standard through its trade deals with Singapore and New Zealand.

新西兰前外交官、如今是惠灵顿政府关系顾问公司桑德斯安斯沃思(Saunders Unsworth)合伙人的查尔斯?芬尼(Charles Finny)表示，台湾已通过与新加坡和新西兰达成的贸易协定，证明其符合必要的标准。

Its best opportunity would come if China joined the TPP, he said.

他表示，如果中国最终加入TPP，那么台湾将迎来其最佳机遇。

Officials in Thailand have said they are looking again at joining. The Philippines has shown interest in the past but is focused on an alternative deal.

泰国官员们表示，他们正在再次研究加入事宜。菲律宾过去曾表现出兴趣，但目前聚焦于另一个贸易协定。

South Korea has been lukewarm about the pact but may feel pressure to sign up if its other trade deals stumble. “Since South Korea has been forced to renegotiate the Korea-US FTA, it may be opportune for South Korea to again consider joining the TPP, in order to be part of a key trade liberalisation initiative for the Asia-Pacific,” said Rajiv Biswas, chief economist for IHS Markit in Singapore. “With Sri Lanka having recently concluded a high quality FTA with Singapore that extended to services and investment, it may also be possible that Sri Lanka could consider joining the CPTPP in a second wave of new joiners,” he said.

韩国对这项贸易协定一直态度温吞，但如果该国的其他贸易协定停摆，它可能感受到加入TPP的压力。“由于韩国被迫重新谈判韩美自由贸易协定，因此韩国也许应该再次考虑加入TPP，以便成为亚太区一项关键的贸易自由化倡议的一部分，”环球通视(IHS Global Insight)驻新加坡的首席经济学家拉吉夫?比斯瓦斯(Rajiv Biswas)表示。“由于斯里兰卡最近与新加坡达成了覆盖服务和投资的高质量自由贸易协定，斯里兰卡也可能考虑跻身于第二波加入《跨太平洋伙伴全面进展协定》（CPTPP，新版TPP的名称——译者注）的国家之列，”他说。

Mr Trump has said that he would be open to rejoining the TPP if it involved a “better deal” for the US.

特朗普曾表示，若有对美国更有利的条件，他将对重新加入TPP持开放心态。

Negotiators are open to the prospect of UK membership after Brexit but doubt it will be the next country to join, given the time it will take to settle London’s future relationship with the EU.

谈判代表们对英国在退欧后成为TPP成员国的前景持开放态度，但考虑到解决英国与欧盟未来关系所需的时间，他们对于英国将成为下一个加入的国家表示怀疑。