HANOI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Four members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who are also the signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), will discuss the future of the TPP in Vietnamese capital Hanoi in May, according to a Vietnamese official.
Tran Tuan Anh, Vietnamese minister of industry and trade, was quoted by local Tien Phong (Pioneer) online newspaper on Friday as saying that on the occasion of the ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting held recently in the Philippines, Vietnam had bilateral exchanges with other ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore, on the TPP.
"It's too early to make decisions on TPP. ASEAN countries reached a consensus that the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting in Hanoi in May will provide a chance for TPP members to evaluate the situation more thoroughly and bring about measures for integration among TPP members in the new context that the U.S. withdrew from the deal," said Anh.