The latest round of talks negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) began Monday in Singapore. Six hundred delegates from the 11 member nations will continue their work toward establishing a “free trade” zone that includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
While those who push for the creation of such a pact point to the combined gross domestic product of the participants — $21 trillion — the fact that is almost always omitted is the great disparity between the GDP of the United States and that of the other members of the TPP.
Math doesn't lie: The total GDP of the other 10 TPP countries equal roughly one-third of that of the United States. The relevant question is whether partnership with these countries will result in a strengthening of their economies or a weakening of our own. Full story
