The US will not return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer at a press conference in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday.
Lighthizer further added that the US favored bilateral over multilateral trade deals and he expected a series of agreements in the region, where he is attending a meeting of ministers from Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries.
The US "pulled out of the TPP and it's not going to change that decision," Lighthizer told reporters.
His remarks came as the remaining 11 members of the TPP free trade agreement are working on a statement to reaffirm their commitment to it despite the withdrawal of the US.
US President Donald Trump signs an executive order to withdraw the US from the TPP trade pact on Jan. 23, 2017, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. /AP Photo
The remaining countries of the TPP trade deal have agreed to explore options for continuing with it despite US President Donald Trump's decision to drop it, said ministers from Mexico and New Zealand on Sunday.
Earlier on January 23, Trump formally withdrew the US from the TPP, a 12-nation deal that had been negotiated under former President Barack Obama.
(Source: Reuters, AFP)
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