Trade deals favour richer countries
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Re: "Why Thailand should be wary about joining the TPP," Letters, October 20.
Vint Chavala mentioned “the principle of equity among trading partners”, also called a level playing field, but is such equality possible?
If a large, successful country has vast natural resources (fossil fuels, precious and semiprecious metals, ocean ports, etc), how can smaller countries with fewer resources compete with it on an equal basis?
There should be inequality among trading partners, and also an uneven playing field, to balance out the “God-given” advantages that some countries have over others.
Would resource-rich countries like to create a truly even playing field by dividing up all natural resources among all the countries of the world for free?
No, because a successful country wants to retain a “home-field advantage” while conveniently ignoring the corresponding disadvantages that others have.
The Chinese concept of “the assassin’s mace” suggests one way to even things up for Asians, such as out-thinking a more powerful opponent.
Guy Baker
