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Add to Calendar 2020/09/30 9:00 AM 2020/09/30 10:00 AM America/New_York Webinar: Reengaging the Asia-Pacific on Trade: A TPP Roadmap for the Next Administration https://www.wita.org/events/asia-society-sept-30-event/ Webinar
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Webinar: Reengaging the Asia-Pacific on Trade: A TPP Roadmap for the Next Administration

Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM (EST)
Webinar

In the aftermath of a presidential election, it’s not unusual for an incoming administration to revisit policy choices made by the previous administration, or, in the case of reelection, within their first term. One decision that strongly merits another look after November is the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a regional trade agreement the United States signed with 11 Asia-Pacific countries in 2016.

The case for U.S. participation in the TPP has only become more compelling as the political and economic importance of the Asia-Pacific region grows and concerns about Beijing’s economic model mount. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has also strengthened the rationale for U.S. reentry as Asia is expected to rebound from the crisis before the rest of the world, and interest in developing trusted supply chains grows. But is there a path for the U.S. to return to the TPP or to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which the 11 remaining countries finalized without the U.S.?

Tune in September 30, at 9:00 a.m. Washington, D.C. time for a free live video webcast.

Watch live on YouTube here: Asia Society YouTube Livestream

Or on Facebook here: Asia Society Facebook

The newest report from ASPI, Reengaging the Asia-Pacific on Trade: A TPP Roadmap for the Next Administration, examines the options the next administration would have for reengaging the CPTPP countries on trade, and assesses their feasibility based on domestic considerations and developments, as well as input from the CPTPP countries themselves.

Join ASPI Vice President and report author Wendy Cutler for a special online launch event, featuring a panel comprised of Australian Ambassador to the U.S. Arthur Sinodinos, former Singapore Ambassador to the U.S. Chan Heng Chee,  plus others to be added. The panel will discuss:

  • Should the U.S. reconsider participation in the CPTPP?
  • Is there U.S. public and Congressional support for doing so?
  • How would CPTPP members respond?
  • Could the USMCA serve as a baseline for the updates and revisions the U.S. would seek?
  • Are more limited negotiations a more realistic short-term alternative to re-engage in the region?

SPEAKERS

Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos has served as Australia’s Ambassador to the United States since February 2020. He was previously Australia’s Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science and was a Senator for New South Wales in the Australian Parliament from 2011 to 2019. During his parliamentary career, he also held other key roles in and outside Cabinet, including Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Treasurer.

Ambassador Chan Heng Chee is Ambassador-at-Large with the Singapore Foreign Ministry. She chairs the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities and is Chairwoman of the National Arts Council, a Member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights, among other affiliations. She was Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States from 1996 to 2012, and currently serves as Co-chair of the Asia Society Board of Trustees.

Wendy Cutler is vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Washington D.C. office. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), including serving as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. In that capacity, she worked on a range of U.S. trade negotiations and initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and the bilateral negotiations with Japan. She also was the Chief Negotiator to the U.S.-Korea (KORUS) Free Trade Agreement.