(VOVworld) – New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay has said it is too soon to give up on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He called on the 11 TPP members to discuss the next step for the trade deal now that the US has pulled out. McClay made the statement on Wednesday in Tokyo during a visit to Japan to hear the views of other TPP members regarding the future of the pact. In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News, he said a meeting of TPP ministers could take place in Chile in March.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Members (Photo: wikipedia)

The TPP was signed in Auckland, New Zealand, last year after more than five years of negotiations. The agreement was the pillar of the Barack Obama administration's strategic “pivot” to Asia. Now the US under the new administration of President Donald Trump has withdrawn from the pact.