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.
Below are the gross domestic products (GDP) and world rankings for 2011 as reported by the International Monetary Fund of the 11 countries currently participating in the TPP:
• The United States ranks first with a GDP of over $15 trillion.
• Canada ranks 11th with a GDP of about $1.7 trillion.
• Australia ranks 12th with a GDP of about $1.5 trillion.
• Mexico ranks 14th with a GDP of almost $1.2 trillion.
• Malaysia ranks 36th with a GDP of nearly $288 billion.
• Singapore ranks 38th with a GDP of about $260 billion.
• Chile ranks 39th with a GDP of about $248 billion.
• Peru ranks 51st with a GDP of about $177 billion.
• New Zealand ranks 55th with a GDP of almost $159 billion.
• Vietnam ranks 57th with a GDP of nearly $123 billion.
• Brunei ranks 111th with a GDP of $16 billion.
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.
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Photo of Singapore business district