Bipartisan House Group Threatens TPP Resistance Over Vietnamese Labor, Human Rights
The Vietnamese government must make genuine reforms toward human rights, labor rights and religious freedom in order for Congress to support its membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, said a bipartisan group of 31 House members in a recent letter to…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
President Barack Obama. The reforms should bring Vietnam into compliance with international labor standards and “demonstrate a clear commitment to the rule of law,” said the lawmakers. Vietnam should release the more than 200 political prisoners and “prisoners of conscience” jailed in the country, withdraw a recent decree that mandates religious organizations register with the government and allow workers to freely associate, the lawmakers added. Otherwise, the country’s inclusion in TPP will face significant resistance in Congress, said the letter. “Without ensuring that concrete benchmarks on human rights are met at the outset, TPP would exacerbate the Vietnamese government’s violations of human rights,” the lawmakers said. “TPP membership will inevitably be regarded as a badge of honor for those governments and represent a seal of approval from the United States.”