Trade agreements should not be 1000 pages long like the TTP that nobody bothers to read. If nobody bothers to read then how could the public be informed about the terms of the agreement. Contracts should be made simple, concise, and easy to understand and follow by the users and include the specific terms agreed upon by the parties involved. Should be simple and concise to allow both government officials and the public to understand. Though it would be the lawyers reviewing the agreement, I think it is safe to say that lawyers might not review the whole 1000-page agreement several times, especially the expectation is that the agreement is a boiler template and would be revised accordingly depending on the relevant, specific terms of the negotiation. China is a different culture altogether, they fine-combed the TTP to ensure nobody takes and can take advantage of them. That is the mindset of Chinese government because they make deals to win.

In terms of NAFTA, has anybody bothered to read the agreement in its totality. I would hazard a guess of “no”. If so, how do the people negotiating the agreement truly understand the agreement completely in its intended context, as well as the advantages and disadvantages to each party. When these agreements are done behind closed doors, is it the intention of the government to keep the public in the dark? The agreements are also long and complicated so the public won’t have the time and won’t bother to read them in whole. That is a disservice to the public. Long and complicated agreements are intentional to deter public interest and inhibit transparency.