- Title: Japan's prime minister reaffirms conviction that TPP benefits the Asia-Pacific
- Date: 16th May 2017
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (MAY 16, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF PALACE HOTEL TOKYO, THE VENUE FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL CEO COUNCIL
- Embargoed: 30th May 2017 12:35
- Keywords: Trans-Pacific Partnership economy TPP Wall Street Journal Shinzo Abe Japan
- Location: TOKYO, JAPAN
- City: TOKYO, JAPAN
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Government/Politics,International Trade
- Reuters ID: LVA0016H37TJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conviction that a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact will help bring prosperity to the Asia-Pacific region is unaltered, he said on Tuesday (May 16).
After U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of the 12-nation pact, Japan has been exploring options to revive the pact without the United States, hoping it can eventually convince Trump to reconsider.
In a sign of hope for Japan, new U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will attend a meeting of trade ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries on Thursday (May 18) and Friday (May 19) in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Many TPP signatories are expected to attend.
Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Wall Street Journal newspaper in the Japanese capital, Abe said Japan wants to "exert leadership so that we can steer the debate in a clear direction" during the Hanoi meeting. He also however added that he had not ruled out the chance of signing a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, an option Washington favours. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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