The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which U.S. President Donald Trump backed his country out of on Monday, is actually the best way to achieve the fair trade in Asia that he promised American voters, former Japanese economy minister Akira Amari has said.
A ratified TPP would set fair and democratic ground rules for Asia-Pacific trade and investment while entrenching the U.S. presence in a region that will drive global economic growth in coming decades, Amari said.
"The TPP is America's passport to Asia. The U.S. can credibly say that it's part of Asia if it's in the TPP," Amari said in an exclusive interview on Jan. 18. "Without the TPP it's an outsider."
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