IN MAY, just months after United States President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping invited dozens of world leaders to Beijing to showcase his ambitious Belt and Road initiative, which was first announced in 2013.
The TPP was a cornerstone of former president Barack Obama’s Asia policy, but President Trump’s removal of the US from the agreement, and the country’s apparent shift away from the region, has created an opportunity for China to increase their influence.
Read the full article here.