China Eager to Fill Political Vacuum Created by Trump’s TPP Withdrawal
- China is now championing an alternative Asia trade pact
- TPP was centerpoint of Obama’s foreign policy focus on Asia
Will China Lead a New TPP Deal?
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from a long-planned Pacific trade pact creates a political and economic vacuum that China is eager to fill, potentially damaging American prestige in Asia.
With Trump making good on his campaign pledge to nix a deal that was the centerpiece of predecessor Barack Obama’s Asia policy, China’s leaders are already ramping up support for globalization and free trade. In a speech last week to the World Economic Forum at Davos, President Xi Jinping likened protectionism to "locking oneself in a dark room."