Q. With reference to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, consider the following statements: - It is an agreement among all the Pacific Rim countries except China and Russia.
- It is a strategic alliance for the purpose of maritime security only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer:
Neither 1 nor 2
Notes: The correct answer is
[D] Neither 1 nor 2. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a proposed trade agreement between several Pacific Rim economies, later evolving into the CPTPP after the United States withdrew.
- Member Countries (Statement 1 – Incorrect): The TPP did not include "all" Pacific Rim countries. Originally, it involved 12 nations: USA, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Peru. Major Pacific Rim countries like South Korea, Indonesia, Colombia, and Thailand were not original signatories, in addition to China and Russia.
- Nature of the Agreement (Statement 2 – Incorrect): The TPP was primarily a comprehensive regional trade and economic agreement, not a maritime security alliance. It focused on lowering tariffs, protecting intellectual property rights (IPR), labor standards, environmental regulations, and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. While it had geopolitical implications for US influence in the Indo-Pacific, its legal framework was strictly economic.
- Evolution to CPTPP: Following the US withdrawal in 2017, the remaining 11 members signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This new version retained most of the original TPP provisions but suspended several clauses, particularly those related to intellectual property that had been pushed by the US.
The agreement remains one of the largest free-trade areas in the world by GDP, aiming to integrate the economies of the Asia-Pacific region.