The CPTPP Podcast - 16: Dull Donald but Opportunist APEC?
Podcast show notes and links are below. Thanks for listening!
The G2 meetings was interesting!
Meanwhile…
China, a non-member of the TPP, is planning related events and inviting various countries without their consent, raising concerns about its intentions.
China, the chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers' Meeting to be held in Suzhou, China on the 22nd and 23rd, is planning to host events related to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Amidst the United States' shift towards protectionism, the CPTPP is gaining prominence as a multilateral framework that will achieve a high level of trade liberalization.
China is likely seeking to find a way to join the CPTPP and expand its influence within the multilateral trading system in the region.
https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026051600118&g=eco [https://www.jiji.com/jc/article?k=2026051600118&g=eco]
Remember despite many similar APEC and CPTPP members (Japan, Australia, Canada, Vietnam, Mexico, New Zealand, Chile, Peru + more)…
…one is loose and one is more legally free trade + more binding - which is why the US bailed from the latter (but names like the UK joined). China interesting!
And thinking again more globally about the CPTPP, two recent great East Asia Forum articles:
CPTPP–EU cooperation can set the pace for global trade
Outside these sensitive areas, CPTPP–EU rules and cooperation mechanisms can evolve and spread through constructive institutional competition with other regional frameworks, CPTPP accession and issue-specific plurilateral arrangements within the WTO. The inaugural CPTPP–ASEAN Trade and Investment Dialogue, launched in November 2025 alongside the CPTPP–EU dialogue, offers one example for how linkages can be gradually built to widen workable rules through multiple, open pathways. To preserve speed, CPTPP-EU cooperation should also use soft-law instruments such as MoUs, action plans and joint principles where appropriate, rather than relying only on legally binding agreements that may require lengthy domestic ratification.
CPTPP–EU cooperation alone cannot save the trading order. But countries that value openness and multilateralism can still lead the formation of next-generation trade rules. To defend the WTO, its supporters can no longer rely on the WTO alone.
https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/05/16/cptpp-eu-cooperation-can-set-the-pace-for-global-trade/ [https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/05/16/cptpp-eu-cooperation-can-set-the-pace-for-global-trade/]
Middle powers should look to East Asia
https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/05/17/middle-powers-should-look-to-east-asia/ [https://eastasiaforum.org/2026/05/17/middle-powers-should-look-to-east-asia/]
Yes, am looking forward to:
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers' Meeting to be held in Suzhou, China on the 22nd and 23rd May meeting
Not that there is not plenty of matters to talk about just amongst APEC member but also EU/China discussions:
A sinking ship? Why the EU and China could be heading for a trade war
Clashes at a conference in Chinese capital reflect wider tensions that threaten to descend into an economic conflict
“Europe needs the Chinese market to help its flagging economy and secure key inputs, and China needs the EU market even more than ever, as its home market flatlines and its access to the US market shrinks.
“Neither can fight on two fronts at once. And as [Chinese strategist] Sun Tzu famously said, the smartest way to win a victory is without having to fight. China knows it has time on its side.”
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353867/sinking-ship-why-eu-and-china-could-be-heading-trade-war?module=top_story&pgtype=homepage [https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3353867/sinking-ship-why-eu-and-china-could-be-heading-trade-war?module=top_story&pgtype=homepage]
As for another (more likely re a 2026 announcement akin to Costa Rica?)
Uruguay is making progress towards joining the CPTPP with the first meeting of the working group
"We had a series of bilateral meetings at the senior official level with all member countries plus a plenary presentation in which Uruguay made an initial presentation of the reasons for its interest in joining the CPTPP," explained Deputy Foreign Minister Valeria Csukasi, who participated in the meeting held in London, to the EFE news agency.
https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2026/05/13/uruguay-avanza-en-su-adhesion-al-cptpp-con-la-primera-reunion-del-grupo-de-trabajo/ [https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2026/05/13/uruguay-avanza-en-su-adhesion-al-cptpp-con-la-primera-reunion-del-grupo-de-trabajo/]
Uruguay accelerates its accession to the CPTPP and assures that “there are no doubts” about compliance with the commitments
For the Uruguayan government, joining the CPTPP represents a strategic opportunity to diversify markets and deepen the country's international integration, especially towards the Asia-Pacific region.
https://www.comexlatam.com/uruguay-acelera-su-adhesion-al-cptpp-y-asegura-que-no-hay-dudas-sobre-el-cumplimiento-de-los-compromisos/ [https://www.comexlatam.com/uruguay-acelera-su-adhesion-al-cptpp-y-asegura-que-no-hay-dudas-sobre-el-cumplimiento-de-los-compromisos/]
And finally…
Will South Korea move towards the TPP? This will be a crucial test after the unified local elections.
In response, the 12 countries participating in the CPTPP recently reached a broad agreement on Costa Rica's accession. Negotiations with Uruguay are also nearing completion, while Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are awaiting the start of negotiations.
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQODK050T80V00C26A5000000/?n_cid=dsapp_share_android [https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQODK050T80V00C26A5000000/?n_cid=dsapp_share_android]
Donald, by contrast, where art though (and the broader US) with regards to freer trade and hence the CPTPP and related?!
Yes, am looking forward to:
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Trade Ministers' Meeting to be held in Suzhou, China on the 22nd and 23rd May meeting
