Abe, Canada's Justin Trudeau extol TPP trade pact without U.S.

Apr 30, 2019 | News On Japan

Apr 30, 2019 (Japan Times) - Canadian and Japanese leaders on Sunday jointly trumpeted a rebooted Pacific trade pact that came into effect at the start of the year, without the United States.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (or CPTPP) removed trade barriers among 11 nations representing nearly 500 million consumers in the Asia-Pacific region in a bid to counter Chinaâ€™s growing economic influence.

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2017 before it was ratified.

At a joint press conference in Ottawa, visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his host, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the pact has â€œbenefitted tremendouslyâ€ citizens and businesses of member nations, including Canada and Japan.

â€œContinuing to move forward on freer and more open trade according to the rules that we can all agree on is something that we need more in the world,â€ Trudeau said.

The CPTPP â€œstands in stark contrastâ€ to rising protectionism sparked by the United States, he said, noting that Canadian beef exports to Japan have tripled in recent months â€œwhile the Americans do not have that kind of access.â€

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