But that ship has sailed, remaining TPP members may tell Trump in Davos
The TPP has not been popular among many Republicans and some sectors of the US workforce, giving Trump the ammunition to proceed with withdrawal. People attend a rally protesting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Maui, Hawaii, the United States, July 29, 2015 [Xinhua]
US President Donald Trump has told US news network CNBC that he could rethink his withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership if the member nations could offer the US a better deal.
During his interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and ahead of his speech to the participants on Friday, Trump revealed that he believed the TPP was structured to America’s disadvantage.
In one of his first executive orders after being sworn in as President, Trump ordered the withdrawal from the TPP, which has been a cornerstone of Barack Obama’s policy to counter China’s growing global influence.
Calling the TPP unfair and damaging to US economic prospects, Trump signaled in November 2016 immediately after his election win that he would negotiate bilateral trade treaties with different countries in order to bring jobs back to the US.
Since then, countries which had signed on to the TPP in 2016, such as Australia, Brunei, Vietnam, Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Chile and Japan signaled that they will try and keep it functional and/or modify it into something similar.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had previously told journalists that there is also an opportunity for China to join the TPP.
Currently, the remaining members are expected to sign a new deal over the next few weeks.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies
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