A campaigner battling to stop a Pacific trade deal says the United States' exit from the Trans Pacific Partnership could lead to more pressure on island countries to conclude the PACER Plus agreement.
Trade ministers from Pacific Island Forum countries, including Australia and New Zealand, meet in Christchurch to discuss PACER Plus last year. Photo: RNZI/Koroi Hawkins
PACER Plus promises a trade and economic integration deal between the Pacific island countries and Australia and New Zealand.
It has been under negotiation for eight years.
The Pacific Network Against Globalisation's campaigner, Adam Wolfenden, said the collapse of the TPP presented Australia and New Zealand with a chance to reframe PACER Plus.
For them PACER Plus, I fear, is that they will use it as a way to signal to the rest of the world that they still believe in multilateral trade deals and that they still want to see a regional agreement like PACER Plus go ahead, if for nothing else, to say that they still believe that this is a sign that Australia and New Zealand are still open for business.