Australian politicians are keen to project our participation in two major international trade talks – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – as unproblematic.

As Prime Minister Gillard visited Cambodia last week for the East Asia Summit which launched RCEP talks, Trade Minister Dr Craig Emerson, maintained our involvement in both agreements were complementary.

“We now look like we’re going to have two pathways to the one destination: a free trade area of Asia in the Pacific,” he told the ABC’s Lateline program.

However, I would argue that there are fundamental tensions and conflicts between the two agreements – in terms of membership, objectives, principles and text. Rather than being in harmony, the agreements rival each other.

A number of the key nation states are competitors: most notably, China and the United States. There are tectonic ruptures between trade blocs centred on South-East Asia and a United States-led Pacific Rim. Moreover, it is not clear whether these regional agreements will promote free trade or lock-down protectionism.

There is a need for an open and transparent evaluation of the two regional trade negotiations.