TOKYO (Sputnik) — The future of the TPP was put into question after the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election on November 8. During his presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly criticized the deal and expressed the desire to shift the focus from the global trade to national economic development in order to support the US economy.
"Despite… Trump's claims, none of the eleven [participants of the deal plus Japan] has stopped the ratification process… all states should recognize the strategic and economic value of the TPP in their parliaments and every member should demonstrate its state will through the parliament," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a cabinet meeting.
The TPP agreement, signed in February, seeks to remove barriers to trade among its 12 signatories, which together account for 40 percent of the world's economy: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
In November, Abe said Japan would continue to advocate for the TPP deal in talks with the United States after Trump's inauguration, despite the president-elect's vow to withdraw from the partnership.
