Despite the Trump administration severing ties with the Trans-Pacific Partnership, it still lives on in a modified form. Originally a 12-country partnership, the new TPP 11 is a planned trade partnership between Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
The withdrawal from the TPP was just the first step for the United States in creating barriers with the Asia-Pacific region.
At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum held in Hanoi this May, the new U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer promoted a U.S.-focused trade agenda. He ruffled the feathers of Asia-Pacific representatives, including former TPP partners, resulting with no joint statement released on pathways for economic growth and development — a common practice at any such forum.