Australia has called for the Trans-Pacific Partnership to go ahead without the US after President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 12-country free-trade deal forced Asian capitals to rethink a decade of international economic policy.
Malcolm Turnbull, prime minister of Australia, vowed to keep the TPP alive and said he was open to China joining the pact instead of the US — a sign of how withdrawal could damage American interests in the region, even with its closest allies.
But trade negotiators from several countries said it would be hard to sustain the TPP in its current form. Instead, big players such as China and Japan are likely to engage in intensive diplomacy as they try to shape a new regional deal.