RIETI Special Seminar

Reimagining the TPP - Revisions that could facilitate U.S. reentry

Announcement

Ms. Wendy Cutler and Mr. Clete Willems will discuss their new report titled “Reimagining the TPP: Revisions that Could Facilitate U.S. Reentry”, which aims to start a meaningful conversation about potential U.S re-entry into the CPTPP.
According to the report, since the United States withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2017, the trade deal developments in the Asia-Pacific region and the Chinese forceful assertion of its economic and national security interests have increased the urgency for the United States to step up its economic engagement in the world’s fastest-growing region.
A return to CPTPP would provide an immediate boost to U.S. economic competitiveness and geopolitical influence. However, many concerns about the original TPP are legitimate and U.S. trade policy views have shifted since the agreement was concluded. The authors provide recommendations for improvements and updates to the agreement that are needed to meet U.S. economic interests and facilitate U.S. re-entry.

Information

  • Time and Date: 10:00-11:00, Thursday, March 2, 2023 (JST)
  • Venue: Online
  • Language: English
  • Admission: Free
  • Host: Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)

Speakers

Speaker:
  • Wendy CUTLER (Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI))
    Wendy Cutler is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Washington, D.C. office. In these roles, she focuses on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment, and innovation, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia. She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, U.S.-China negotiations, and the WTO Financial Services negotiations. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world.
  • Clete WILLEMS (Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP)
    Clete Willems is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, where he advises multinational companies, investors, and trade associations on international economic law and policy matters. Until April 2019, he was Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economics and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. In this role, he was a key negotiator with foreign governments, including China and the European Union, and the President’s lead negotiator at the G-7, G-20, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum. Prior to joining the White House, he was a trade negotiator and WTO litigator at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). He also worked as Legislative Director for Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI). He graduated from the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University Law Center.
Moderator: