WASHINGTON (Jan 24): President Donald Trump’s formal withdrawal from a long-planned trade deal with Pacific Rim nations creates a political and economic vacuum that China is eager to fill, offering a boost for beleaguered US manufacturing regions while damaging American prestige in Asia.

The move is a sledgehammer blow to former President Barack Obama’s attempt to recenter US foreign policy from the Mideast to Asia.

As the Trump administration retreats from the region by ending US participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, China’s Communist leaders are ramping up their globalization efforts and championing the virtues of free trade. In an address last week to the World Economic Forum at Davos, Chinese president Xi Jinping likened protectionism to "locking oneself in a dark room" and signaled that China would look to negotiate regional trade deals.

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