This event will discuss the economic implications of free trade agreements in Asia.

The best thing the Obama Administration did for Asia did not happen in Asia. Sure it was important that the president announced the movement of troops to Australia.  Equally so was the announcement of the Trans Pacific Partnership which could lead to greater trade liberalization and is a powerful way to tie allies together.

The division of power on trade between the White House and Congress has been a problem for decades.

In the latest International Economics Outlook, AEI trade expert Claude Barfield assesses the progress of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) and the substantive and structural issues that have emerged during the negotiations.

The United States’ lack of involvement in the increasingly integrated economic development of East Asia may have a profound effect on American producers, consumers, and overall U.S. economic growth. Countries in the Asia-Pacific region are embracing integrated economic regimes through bilateral trade agreements and the formation of regional multilateral architecture....

For the United States, the critical role that the TPP could play in Japanese politics and economic reform raises the stakes.

After Congress passes FTAs with Korea, Columbia and Panama, the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) will become the single most important US trade initiative, serving as a building block for a larger Free Trade Area for the Asia Pacific Agreement.