Some TPP provisions opposed by Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is opposed to a critical piece of the Obama administration’s proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would give corporations the right to sue sovereign nations over laws or regulations that could potentially curb their profits, according to a piece in the Huffington Post.

The policy position is contained in her book Hard Choices, and was said to have been confirmed to the Post by a spokesperson for her presidential campaign.

Obama and congressional Democrats are said to be locked in a bitter public feud over the TPPA, a deal being negotiated between 12 Pacific nations, with much of the controversy deriving from concerns that it will undermine regulatory standards.

The Post quotes Clinton’s book as saying: ‘Currently the United States is negotiating comprehensive agreements with eleven countries in Asia and in North and South America, and with the European Union. We should be focused on ending currency manipulation, environmental destruction, and miserable working conditions in developing countries, as well as harmonizing regulations with the EU. And we should avoid some of the provisions sought by business interests, including our own, like giving them or their investors the power to sue foreign governments to weaken their environmental and public health rules, as Philip Morris is already trying to do in Australia. The United States should be advocating a level and fair playing field, not special favors.’