Bloomberg reports Canada is hosting what it calls an “exploratory” round of talks regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Senior trade officials from the remaining countries in the pact are in talks this week in Toronto. The event is expected to be a stage-setter for an upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Vietnam. The article says this week’s trade talks are a sign that Canada may be looking for business away from its largest trading partner amid disputes with U.S. President Donald Trump over lumber and the dairy sector. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to U.S. lumber duties by saying his country will try to sell more of its products in Asia. The Canadian government did leave the door opening to putting together a bilateral trade deal with Japan, which has the biggest economy in the remaining TPP countries. Trudeau said in a recent Bloomberg interview that Canada seems to be in a “post-TPP world.” Canada’s International Trade Minister said his department is happy that talks are progressing on TPP but declined to comment on the future of the pact.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.
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