4/12/2018

ASIA/CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump directed two of his top aides to study the possibility of re-engaging in negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said in an interview Thursday [4-12-18]. The move would be a huge policy swing for Trump, a free-trade skeptic who walked away from the massive trade pact after winning the presidency. At a meeting with pro-trade senators and governors, Trump directed economic adviser Larry Kudlow and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to scope out whether re-entering TPP talks makes sense, Sasse said. The trade deal, negotiated by President Barack Obama, would aid the United States in isolating China by crafting agreements with many of its neighbors. Trump’s apparent flirtation with reengaging on TPP offered was reassuring to his critics on trade policy, many of whom are from farm states that could suffer severe collateral damage from the president’s threatened trade war with China.”

Burgess Everett, “Senator: Trump flirting with massive TPP trade pact,” Politico, April 12, 2018 1:38 pm