The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) works and moves forward despite what many people believed following the United States' withdrawal from TPP, Australian Ambassador to Peru Nicholas McCaffrey affirmed Wednesday.
"(...) many people said that after the United States' withdrawal, it would be impossible to move forward,
but that was not the case," the diplomat told Andina news agency.
According to McCaffrey, the decision to return belongs to the United States. Thus, the U.S. Government is the one to assess its stance.
"Whether they rejoin (the treaty) or not, it is up to them. On the other hand, we are sure the
CPTPP is key to seeking more opportunities and Australian exporters, and vice-versa," he added.
As is known, President Donald J. Trump announced —a couple of weeks ago— he was assessing the possibility of rejoining the aforementioned agreement.
Nevertheless, the American leader later expressed his preference for bilateral trade deals over the Trans-Pacific treaty.
Deemed as the most ambitious free trade agreement,
CPTPP involves 11 countries from the Asia-Pacific region:
Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Viet Nam.
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