Hanoi (VNA) - The chief negotiators of 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)countries plan to meet in Hakone, the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa, inmid-July to discuss the future of the free trade deal without the UnitedStates, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
The planned meeting comes after the tradeministers of the 11 TPP states agreed on May 21 to complete preparatory work byNovember to put the deal into force quickly. In November, they will meet on themargins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum gathering in Vietnam.
The TPP was signed in February 2016 byAustralia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru,Singapore, the United States and Vietnam -- covering around 40 percent of theglobal economy.
However, US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the world'sbiggest economy from the TPP soon after taking office in January./.