Australia leads push for TPP without US after Trump exits deal

AUSTRALIA (Jan 24): Australia is leading a push to salvage a Pacific trade deal after U.S. President Donald Trump formally withdrew as a signatory to the 12-nation accord.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he discussed the deal on Monday night with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, and held talks with the leaders of New Zealand and Singapore. Steven Ciobo, Australia’s trade minister, told ABC Radio on Tuesday a Trans-Pacific Partnership without the U.S. was “very much a live option.”

“We are all of us working to see how we can ensure we maintain this momentum toward open markets and free trade,” Turnbull told reporters on Tuesday in Sydney. “Losing the United States from the TPP is a big loss -- there is no question about that -- but we are not about to walk away from our commitment to Australian jobs.”

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