"There is going to be a lot of difference between candidate Trump and president Trump. Because president Trump will be given same advice, and he will have to consider the same issues. Does he want the United States to be the leader around the world? If he does, then the United States will have to be engaged," Key said.
He explained that in the United States, it is actually not only the US trade representative who is pushing for the TPP, but also Pentagon, because "it is all about the United States showing leadership in the Asian region."
"I think that president Trump will be very much like the chairman of the corporation Trump is. He is a flexible business guy, he will realize he has a role to play, that the United States has shown global leadership for a long time, and he is going to continue doing that," Key said.
Trump, known for his criticism of the proposed TPP deal, won US presidential election on November 8 despite most of the analysts and opinion polls predicting his defeat to Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton. During the election campaign, Trump has repeatedly expressed the desire to support US business in the United States, shifting the focus from the global trade to national economic development.
The TPP seeks to remove barriers to trade among its 12 signatories, which together account for 40 percent of the world's economy: the United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
