The nation's Trade Minister David Parker said making it public would allow better scrutiny before it is formally signed in Santiago on March 8. Australian Trade Minister Steve Ciobo said the landmark agreement would eliminate more than 98 percent of tariffs in a trade zone with a combined GDP of some US$13 trillion. However, that figure would be closer to 40 percent if the United States was included, an outcome some lawmakers in Trump's own Republican party are reportedly pushing for. "We encourage you to work aggressively to secure reforms that would allow the United States to join the agreement," they wrote in a letter cited by the newspaper. His predecessor Barack Obama believed the deal would set a higher standard for trade, including on health and the environment, and eventually entice China to play by the same rules.

Source: The Nation Bangkok February 21, 2018 05:37 UTC