Australia, Japan agree on free trade deal

[unhappycamper]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_AUSTRALIA?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=BUSINESS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Australia, Japan agree on free trade deal
By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer
Apr 7, 7:09 AM EDT

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan and Australia have agreed on a free trade deal that both sides say will yield windfalls for their economies.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe, announced the pact, Japan's first with a major agricultural economy, at a news conference Monday.

The deal calls for Japan to gradually phase out its nearly 40 percent tariffs on Australian exports of beef. In turn, Australia is to end its tariffs on Japanese-made vehicles, household appliances and electronics.

"I hope that thanks to this agreement that Australia can be pivotal in assuring Japan's energy security, its resource security and its food security," Abbott told reporters.

[pipoman]

1. If all trade agreements were between similar economies

And governments there would be no problem with them, imo. The trouble arises from agreements with vastly different economies and governments. The fact that Mexico has a long history of instilling poverty on their people by not having worker protections in place, and corrupt theft of the wealth has resulted in disparities which put the labor of the US in direct competition with desperately impoverished labor of Mexico. The claim by corporatists is that this competition would bring the Mexican labor pool to US standard. ..anyone could see that the result would be the opposite.

[djean111]

2. Oh, we just misunderstood -

"The claim by corporatists is that this competition would bring the Mexican labor pool to US standard"

This will/has/is happening as the US labor standard is brought down and down and down, you see!
Eventually, the labor pool standards will meet - not at the top, not in the middle, but at the bottom.