Key facts about the TPP trade deal

The 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), signed on Thursday in New Zealand, aims to eliminate trade barriers such as tariffs in a bloc that accounts for 40 percent of the global economy. -- The founding members of the Pacific Rim group are - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. The TPP is the main economic component of US President Barack Obama's strategic shift toward the Asia-Pacific.