US President Donald Trump’s consideration of rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership didn’t last long. Last week, the US President said the country could rejoin TPP if the deal were made ‘substantially better’.

But last night, after dinner with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump took to Twitter to slam the deal and reject Tokyo’s invitation for him to rejoin.

Trump said that he ‘didn’t like the deal for the United States’ because of its contingencies and the potential difficulty of exiting. Instead, he expressed a preference for bilateral trade deals.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Trump stated that both Japan and South Korea wanted the US to rejoin TPP, although the latter is not currently a member of the trade pact. However, Korean media has reported that South Korea may be considering signing up to the deal.

TPP, originally a 12-member agreement, was a signature trade policy of Obama, although he was unable to get Congress to approve the deal. Trump then withdrew from TPP three days after being inaugurated in January 2017, saying that he was doing so to protect US jobs.

The 11 remaining members of the deal, led by Japan, signed the deal earlier this year, after removing contested provisions such as the one governing intellectual property. In its current form, TPP reduces tariffs between these countries by a total of $10 trillion in GDP, which together represents more than 13% of the global economy.

Member countries said that they would be open to the possibility of the US rejoining TPP, but would not allow a major renegotiation of the pact, which is what Trump was seeking.

Trade talks between Trump and Abe are set to take place today.