U.S. ambassadors in Asia make final plea for dead Trans-Pacific trade pact
When hope of enacting the ambitious Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact ended in November, Max Baucus, the United States ambassador to China, was among the officials who had to grapple with disappointment. The partnership, called the TPP, was a hallmark of the Obama administration. It would have been one of the largest trade agreements in history, covering about 40 percent of the world’s economy and setting new terms and standards for trade for the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations. China was not included but would have been able to join. When President Obama plucked Mr. Baucus in 2013 from the United States Senate to be the ambassador to China, he chose a politician with a record of promoting free trade. As ambassador, Mr. Baucus supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership and tried to dampen alarm in China over the American-led effort.
