US will not join CPTPP, but pursue specific trade tie-ups with allies: Gina Raimondo

The US remains very serious about engaging economically with the Indo-Pacific region, said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. - AFP

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The United States will not join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) now for various reasons, but it is pursuing other partnerships with its allies in specific areas such as supply chains.

Such partnerships are less constrained than a traditional free trade agreement (FTA), and the US remains very serious about engaging economically with the Indo-Pacific region, said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum on Wednesday (Nov 17).