Asia advances free trade talks in wake of US TPP withdrawal (Deutsche Welle, 27 February 2017)
Amid growing protectionism across the globe, an ASEAN initiative has brought together 16 nations to talk free trade. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the TPP has left a vacuum in the region. Negotiators representing 16 nations of the Asia Pacific region gathered in the Japanese city of Kobe to discuss a possible free trade agreement in the wake of the US’ withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). While the China was not included in TPP, Beijing leads the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which includes the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with Australia, India, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. The RCEP’s 17th round aims to “push negotiations forward broadly in the fields of goods, services, investment, intellectual property, rules of origin, competition and electronic commerce,” a Japanese trade official told AFP news agency. “It is important to strike a quality deal in RCEP at a time when protectionism is emerging around the world,” the official added.