2013 Article Discusses TPPA and China's Growing Influence in Asia
What happened
A column published on October 9, 2013, discussed the geopolitical shifts occurring in the Pacific region. The article noted that China was quietly gaining influence by signing multi-billion dollar trade deals with Indonesia and advocating for a regional infrastructure bank. The author also stated that the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) was warmly supported by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and New Zealand.
Why it matters
The piece suggests that these events demonstrated how China was filling a gap left by the slow pivot of the United States to Asia. The author argued that the TPPA, alongside the influence of US multinationals, was seen by some as allowing too much power to be given to US interests while challenging growing Chinese business ties in Asia.
In 2021, the US pushed its economic solutions to ASEAN economies while simultaneously pushing against Chinese and Russian technologies.