The trade deal is considered dead on arrival after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in January via an executive order. Exploratory free trade talks with China have so far gone well, and officials met in person this winter, according to Champagne. I’m also engaging with my colleagues around the world which have also had free trade agreements with China,” Champagne said. “We’re doing step-by-step.”He acknowledged an agreement with China would take a long time to negotiate, saying trade trends happen over decades. There is optimism around relations with Japan, which until now has been skeptical about opening bilateral talks, preferring a wait-and-see approach on the TPP.

Source: National Post March 16, 2017 23:26 UTC