Time to Revisit the TPP

[Chop]

The TPP: The Trans-Pacific Partnership.

It was a proposed super-NAFTA sort of economic alliance for Pacific-bordering countries (but not China) that never passed. Trump railed against it, then Hillary went from for it to against it. The main concerns were potential harms from labor arbitrage—jobs moving to low wage nations, labor, and environmental. The partners/players would likely include the USA, Canada, India (not in the original draft, and not bordering the Pacific, but a nice addition), Vietnam, S Korea, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Mexico, Peru, Chile, maybe Columbia and more.

it’s now reached the point where it would be worth it to check China’s power. China is very concerned, maybe paranoid, about being surrounded by nations aligned to the US and hostile to China. This would put the regional players firmly in our camp.

In the past, I was opposed to the TPP. Now I’m for it.

 

[Monahorns]

I was opposed only because everything was under secrecy. I think Deez said there are reasons for that. But I just can't agree in principle with agreements being made in secret. It affects all of us too much.

I am all for free trade agreements with a group of Pacific countries. Let's do it and let's do it in the most transparent way possible.

 

[Mr. Deez]

Yep. Like almost all of these "free trade" agreements, it was negotiated in secret and undoubtedly was packed with sleaziness. However, it definitely should be brought back up and renegotiated. The best way to rein in China is to start doing business with and having freer trade with their economic competitors.

And I think we should be making very big deals with Mexico and Latin America. I'm not a fan of exporting American jobs to Mexico, but I'd love to export Chinese jobs to Mexico. It solves so many problems - slaps China around, gives us a much more favorable trading partner, and helps alleviate illegal immigration.

 

[Horn6721]

If Trump would be involved a new TPP could be a good thing for the world

 

[Garmel]

As long as we have fair trade involved I'm good with it.

 

[Monahorns]

"Fair". As long as it is free, it will be a benefit to us all.

 

[Garmel]

"Fair". As long as it is free, it will be a benefit to us all.

Not necessarily. The Coronavirus has exposed outsourcing vital products as a bad idea.

 

[Chop]

Indeed. And the supply chain of world manufacturing needs to be diversified and moved away from so much reliance on China.

Best outcome: it moves mostly here to the USA.

Pretty good outcome: it moves mostly to the lower income countries in the TPP with some coming back here.

Bad outcome—the status quo: China continues to dominate world manufacturing supply chains and we all rely on them.

 

[mchammer]

Indeed. And the supply chain of world manufacturing needs to be diversified and moved away from so much reliance on China.

Best outcome: it moves mostly here to the USA.

Pretty good outcome: it moves mostly to the lower income countries in the TPP with some coming back here.

Bad outcome—the status quo: China continues to dominate world manufacturing supply chains and we all rely on them.

Why not call it the TP agreement for historical reasons?