TPP/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Almost 10 months after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of a sweeping Pacific trade pact, the 11 countries left behind are pushing forward for an agreement without Washington on the sidelines of the Pacific Rim’s biggest annual economic summit.
Led by Japan, trade negotiators are meeting in this seaside town ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, seeking a revised version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership by suspending clauses that the U.S. had backed for years in negotiations under former President Barack Obama…
A new deal would bring together Japan, Canada, Australia, Mexico and a host of smaller nations with a combined GDP of more than $10 trillion. It is a far cry from what the pact would have been with the U.S., but negotiators and trade experts say the deal would still wield strategic significance and that by putting some clauses on hold, they’re leaving the door open for the U.S. to join later…
Leaders had agreed on a deal in February 2016, but it faced ratification headwinds in the U.S. election year. Mr. Trump fulfilled a campaign promise and pulled out in his first days in office.”
-Ben Otto, “Eleven Nations Pursue TPP Deal, Minus U.S., at Pacific Rim Summit,” The Wall Street Journal online, Nov. 8, 2017 10:23pm