Challenges Of TPP To China's Free Trade Agreement's Environmental Clause And Its Strategic Countermeasures

In recent years,Free trade agreements covering environmental provisions has already become a new normal.In the case of no progress in the Doha round of environmental negotiations,countries are beginning to seek further development of environmental negotiations in bilateral,multilateral or regional trade agreements.The signing of the environmental provisions of the Transpacific Partnership Agreement represents the birth of a high standard of environmental protection for free trade agreements.The agreement,when it was initially established,declared that the highest standards of environmental protection in the 21 st century had been set.The contents of the environmental chapter are informative and specific,It not only emphasizes public participation,deepens the framework for environmental cooperation,but also incorporates environmental disputes into trade dispute settlement mechanisms.The TPP environmental statement proclaims protection provisions under the current international background,and also shows that the strong protection of the international environment is still continuing to enhance.China has signed 13 free trade agreements,basically include the environmental terms.However,compared with the TPP environmental provisions,These terms have many disadvantages,such as narrow coverage,a lot of Principle provisions,lack of specific and substantive content,no binding.There is still room for improvement in the environmental provisions of China's free trade agreements.The United States,a member of the TPP,announced the withdrawal of TPP after the new President Trump took office.The prospect of TPP is confusing.China is not a member of the TPP,in the short term,the impact of TPP's high environmental standards on China is not obvious.In the long term,it is not impossible for China to join TPP in the future even if China does not join,TPP eventuallydo not take effect,but its environmental terms have become the reference text when countries sign the environmental chapters of free trade agreements.In respond to the challenges brought about by the TPP environmental provisions,we can make our country to establish a responsible image of the powerful country in politics,to achieve the construction of China's free trade zone network in the strategy,to promote the construction of ecological civilization in the environment,to advance the environmental products and services trade in the economy.For China,both now and in the future,improving the environmental provisions in free trade agreements is a general trend.Environmental provisions have also become one of the indispensable elements of negotiation in free trade agreements.When dealing with theTPP environmental challenges,and improving the free trade agreement environmental terms,China should pay attention to the following points:First,adhere to the basic principles of setting environmental provisions;Secondly,establish the safeguards on negotiate environmental provisions;Third,establish a model text of the environmental provisions;Finally,play the first demonstration of the role of free trade pilot area.