Portland, May 9 (RHC)-- The footwear giant Nike has announced it will create 10,000 jobs in the United States if the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, or TPP, is approved.

The 12-nation pact would encompass 40 percent of the global economy and is being negotiated in secret. Critics say the deal would hurt workers, undermine regulations and expand corporate power. But Nike claims the agreement would allow it to invest in U.S.-based production.

The announcement coincided with U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit on Friday to Nike headquarters in Oregon. Dozens of protesters rallied against the TPP at a fundraiser attended by Obama in Portland Thursday night.

In a statement, the group Public Citizen said: "As Obama tries to sell a pact that many believe would lead to more U.S. job offshoring and lower wages, why would he honor a firm that has grown and profited not by creating U.S. jobs but by producing in offshore sweatshops with rock bottom wages and terrible labor conditions?"