And how did the old paper dragon become the elephant in the room? Well, by US trade policies with China since the late '70s which have enriched and empowered China to become a threat to dominate the region.
And national security has been at stake since the late '70s when Deng Xiaoping visited Jimmy Carter and began to open trade with the US and set in motion the incredible transfer of US factories, technology and jobs from the US to China. Carter didn't just give away the Panama Canal.
Without that, communist China would be no threat to dominate anything.
Our policies in Asia over the years have weakened the US economically and weakened our national security, and the policies being debated now will only continue or speed up that trend.
The Asian model for growth followed by Japan, South Korea and China will be followed by the new TPP partners.
Lure US production to your Asian nation, gain maximum possible to the US market, allow minimal access to your market, and export, export, export to the US. A proven formula.
It's a mistake to give Obama fast track authority.
And the TPP would be a mistake.
Both will probably happen, just as all the mistakes trading with Asia have happened through the years.
And after about 60 years, our negotiating geniuses are still trying to open the Japan market to US rice. No free trade in rice with Japan.
U.S. agrees to let Japanese tariffs stand on rice, wheat
And it doesn't look like TPP will Japanese tariffs on US rice.
I've seen other details about the TPP negotiations in the foreign press. Now how are they learning details and it's so super-secret in the US?