President Trump’s showdown with China could make a U-turn on the Trans-Pacific Partnership a serious option Chris Kleponis/Getty ImagesPresident Trump has directed officials to examine whether America should join with nations including Canada, Japan and Australia and sign up to a trade agreement that he dropped days after entering the White House. As his administration considers how to protect US farmers from an intensifying trade dispute with China, Mr Trump is considering a revival of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which he abandoned in one of his first acts as president in January last year. Beijing and Washington have each threatened to impose tariffs on $50 billion worth of the other’s exports. Last week Mr Trump ordered officials to draw up a further list of Chinese targets worth $100 billion. As it attempts to protect the US agricultural industry amid heightened concern over a…

Source: The Times April 12, 2018 23:03 UTC