Protests greeted negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which took place in Hyderabad recently. Trade unions and civil society organizations joined forces to voice their concerns. They consisted of some 600 people across India representing trade unions, farmers, agricultural workers, patient groups, public health activists, NGOs, street vendors, human rights activists, academics and many others. They shared concerns from the respective sectors, strongly criticized the limited space created for stakeholder intervention and called for transparency and a democratic process.

They opposed the investor state dispute settlement provisions as they shift the rules of the global economy in favor of corporations and against workers. RCEP is a proposed mega regional free trade agreement currently being negotiated by 16 countries including Asean members and their six FTA partners namely India, China, Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

The 16 RCEP participating countries account for almost half of the world’s population, almost 30 per cent of global GDP and over a quarter of world exports. RCEP negotiations consist of roughly 23 chapters and aim to rewrite trade and regulatory rules in areas including agricultural and industrial goods, investment, intellectual property rights, services, competition policies and e-commerce.