Asia Trade Pact on Tricky Ground Over Free Migration

Bloomberg

17 February 2017

An Asian trade pact in focus after President Donald Trump pulled out of a rival deal has struck trouble over an issue that’s tripped up politicians from Europe to the U.S. — borders.

The free movement of people, something India wants for highly-skilled information technology workers, remains a major sticking point for the 16-party deal, even as China pushes for an accelerated time line to finalize the agreement. It’s set to come up again at the next round of talks in Japan in late February.

Having seen how migration has become a political grenade elsewhere — from Brexit in the U.K. to Trump’s election win in the U.S. — Asian nations are wary about the liberalization of services. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in moving toward economic integration, has carefully avoided decisions on allowing the free movement of people.

“In Asia, the issue of migrants has always been about control, especially in Asean,” said Bhubhindar Singh, an associate professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. “It’s not simply an issue of looking at the economic impact of migration.”

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