美国希望TPP能够改革国际仲裁机制

US officials are hailing a new Pacific Rim trade agreement as a vehicle to reform the opaque international arbitration system that for decades has been used to resolve disputes between foreign investors and governments.

美国官员将一项新的环太平洋贸易协议赞誉为改革不透明的国际仲裁制度的工具。几十年来，这种不透明的仲裁制度一直被用于解决外国投资者与东道国政府之间的争端。

President Barack Obama and his administration are trying to blunt criticism from congressional opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership like Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who claim the pact — and the “investor-state dispute settlement” mechanism it includes — will let foreign companies challenge domestic environmental, financial, food safety and other regulations before international arbitration panels.

美国总统巴拉克攠巴马(Barack Obama)及其政府正在努力淡化国会中反对《跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》(TPP)的议员提出的批评，民主党总统参选人伯尼儠德斯(Bernie Sanders)就是批评者之一。桑德斯认为，TPP及其包含的“投资者与国家争端解决机制”(ISDS)将使外国企业能够在国际仲裁庭上挑战美国国内的环保、金融、食品安全和其他方面的监管规定。

Even as US businesses and policymakers digest the details of the TPP, which were made public for the first time last week after five years of negotiations, the debate has resonance and consequences for business and governments around the world.

就在美国企业和政策制定者消化TPP细节的时候，这场辩论在世界各地的企业和政府中都产生了共鸣和影响。经过五年的协商之后，TPP的详细条款于上周首次公之于众。

Nowhere is that more true than in Europe, where after almost two years of discussions the European Commission unveiled its own proposals to revamp the ISDS system earlier this year and is facing its own political fire over negotiations with Washington.

在欧洲，这种共鸣和影响表现得最为明显。经过将近两年的讨论之后，欧盟委员会(European Commission)今年早些时候公布了自己对于改革ISDS机制的计划。如今，在欧美贸易谈判问题上，欧盟委员会正面临来自欧洲内部的强烈政治反对。

In Berlin last month more than 150,000 people took to the streets to protest against the so-called Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, aiming much of their ire at what they fear would be a move to allow US companies to undermine regulations in the EU and its member states on everything from natural gas “fracking” to the sale of genetically modified agricultural products.

上月，逾15万人走上柏林街头，抗议所谓的《跨大西洋贸易与投资伙伴关系协定》（Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership，简称：TTIP）。他们的怒火主要源于，他们担心美国企业将因此能够破坏欧盟及其成员国在诸多方面的监管规定：从天然气“水力压裂”，到转基因农产品的销售。

The investment provisions in the US-led TPP and the EU proposals share stated goals to bring greater transparency to the system and close loopholes.

美国主导的TPP以及欧盟计划中的投资条款，都提出了增强ISDS透明度和堵上漏洞的目标。

The TPP includes language affirming governments’ right to regulate “in the public interest” on the environment, health and other areas. There is also specific language banning tobacco companies from challenging antismoking initiatives as Philip Morris International has in recent years by mounting an ISDS case against Australia over the country’s plain packaging laws.

TPP包含肯定政府有权“从公共利益出发”对环境、卫生和其他领域实施监管，也包含禁止烟草公司挑战反吸烟倡议的具体规定。近些年来，菲利普莫里斯国际公司(Philip Morris International)曾利用一宗ISDS案挑战澳大利亚政府的烟草简单包装法。

But sceptics remain. Lori Wallach, a trade activist for campaign group Public Citizen, says the TPP’s reforms to ISDS remain too weak. Worse, she argues, the agreement as it stands would make it easier for banks and other financial services firms to challenge new regulations, although US officials dispute that.

但仍有一些人持怀疑态度。Public Citizen的贸易活动家洛丽茠勒克(Lori Wallach)表示，TPP对ISDS的改革仍太软弱。她认为，更糟糕的是，当前这份协定将让银行和其他金融服务企业能够更容易地挑战监管新规，尽管美国官员不同意这一点。

Mike Froman, Mr Obama’s trade tsar, insists that with the TPP the US is setting a high water mark for such investor protection regimes — which are heavily favoured by business groups — and trying to prevent future abuses.

美国贸易代表迈克弗罗曼(Mike Froman)坚称，有了TPP，美国将为此类投资者保护机制设定更高的标准，并努力防止未来的滥权行为。商业集团是特别赞成这类投资者保护机制的。

“It is a reform of the system,” he told the Financial Times in an interview.

“这是对该机制的改革，”他在接受英国《金融时报》采访时表示。

But he also indicated that differences remain with Europe over its proposals, which include the creation of an appellate mechanism and even, some day, a world court to hear investment disputes.

但他也暗示，就欧洲的计划而言，美国仍与欧洲存在分歧。欧洲的计划包括，建立一种上诉机制，甚至有朝一日建立一个世界法院来审理投资争端。