Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Also called: CPTPP · Topic: International Trade: Patterns, Ports and the WTO · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a free trade pact among 11 Pacific Rim countries, meaning countries on the edges of the Pacific Ocean. It came into force in 2018. It was formed after the USA pulled out of the original Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the remaining countries went ahead without it. It matters because it shows how regional trade blocs grow when global trade talks stall.
Example
In December 2024 the United Kingdom joined the CPTPP (verify current). It was the first member from outside the Pacific region.
Don't confuse with
- TPP: the original pact, which included the USA. The CPTPP is what was left after the USA withdrew.
- RCEP: a separate bloc of 15 countries, built around the 10 ASEAN members plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Related concepts
- Regional trade blocs
- Mercosur
- Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
- African Continental Free Trade Area