Abstract

What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership? A way to counterbalance China's influence, the most ambitious trade agreement of the 21st century, or a US attempt to shape the regulatory-setting of commerce in the Asia-Pacific region? Through the opinions of several experts and negotiators, the article analyzes the strategic significance of the US-led agreement in the Pacific area. It also tries to understand whether signing a free trade regional deal in Asia that does not include China is really in the interest of countries such as Australia, torn between their traditional alliance with the US and the increasing economic reliance on Beijing.