
Trump to explore entering Pacific trade pact he once called 'a disaster' - neaden
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/382867-trump-orders-officials-to-look-into-re-entering-tpp-trade-pact
======
msie
And I'm sure the other countries will welcome the US with open arms. Sadly,
Trump will get his way and there will be no consequences for bowing out of the
trade pact earlier.

~~~
igravious
From Wikipedia:

“The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
(CPTPP), also known as TPP11[2][3][4] is an agreed in principle trade
agreement between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,
New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

The CPTPP incorporates most of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) provisions
by reference, but suspended 22 provisions the United States favored that other
countries opposed, and lowered the threshold for enactment so the
participation of the U.S. is not required.[5] The TPP was signed on 4 February
2016, but never entered into force as a result of the withdrawal of the United
States.[6]

All original TPP signatories, except the U.S., agreed in May 2017 to revive
it[7][8] and reached agreement in January 2018 to conclude the Comprehensive
and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. The formal signing
ceremony was held on March 8, 2018 in Santiago, Chile.”

TPP11 is _less favourable_ than TPP for the US because 22 provisions which
favoured the US were removed! Not only that, by abandoning TPP the US actually
made it possible for the remaining 11 nations to drop the provisions that they
felt favoured the US (perhaps because they were strong-armed into accepting
them?).

“On January 25, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview announced
his interest in possibly rejoining the TPP if it were a "substantially better
deal" for the United States.”

Given that TPP no longer exists, how is the US to join? Given that TPP11 is
explicitly worse for the US than TPP (because the US abandoned it) how does
the US think it is going from negative back to status quo and from there to
positive territory? Presumably it must convince 11 nations, some of them
sizeable, to renegotiate a deal that would be to their collective detriment.

In word _bonkers_. Less inflammatory _out of touch with reality_.

In other news. “In January 2018 the United Kingdom government stated it is
exploring becoming a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to stimulate
exports after Brexit in March 2019 and has held informal discussions with the
members.”

(T1) "I know, let's leave the world's largest common market on our doorstep!"

(T2) "I know, let's join this other trade area half way around the world!"

