If Trump abandons the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he plays into China’s hands
Donald Trump is not wasting any time on trade. Or is he? In his video message about what he’ll do on day one, he said he’d abandon Barack Obama’s plan to broker a 12-country free-trade agreement for the Pacific region, the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership (or TPP). But that’s the thing with the Donald – it’s impossible to say if he’s serious or just collecting material for a new chapter in The Art of the Deal. Does he really want to pull out of the TPP? Or is his threat just part of a negotiation? Killing the TPP would be a waste – but for other reasons than the economy. It certainly wouldn’t ‘bring back
