Despite originally excluding Beijing, Australian officials have suggested a "potential for China to join" the TPP free trade agreement. US President Donald Trump has ordered a withdrawal, saying it hurt American workers.
"The original architecture was to enable other countries to join," Ciobo later told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "Certainly I know that Indonesia has expressed interest and there would be scope for China if we are able to reformulate it."
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull later said that "there is the potential for China to join the TPP," while New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English stated that Beijing "hasn't been slow to spot the opportunity" to cast itself as a free trade supporter.
Former President Barack Obama's administration purposefully excluded China from the agreement in a bid to set the rules for free trade in the region before Beijing could, a part of Obama's "pivot to Asia" policy.
English said the US' decision to cede influence in the region to China would open the door to alternative trade deals. "We've got this RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) agreement with Southeast Asia, which up until now has been on a bit of a slow burn but we might find the political will for that to pick up if TPP isn't going to proceed," he said.
Meanwhile, Mexico and Chile have voiced their support for pursuing free trade deals with the remaining nations.
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http://m.dw.com/en/potential-for-china-to-join-tpp-after-us-withdrawal/a-37246494
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