China, in his words · 2016 campaign · № 23
Said the Trans-Pacific Partnership was designed for China to enter 'through the back door'
“The TPP is horrible deal. It is a deal that is going to lead to nothing but trouble. It's a deal that was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone.”
- Said
- , Republican presidential debate, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Fox Business Network / The Wall Street Journal)
- Subject
- TPP back door
- Threat
- Economic threat
- Topic
- Trade & tariffs
- Era
- 2016 campaign
What the record showed
China was not a party to the agreement, as Sen. Rand Paul said later in the same debate; the next day Trump tweeted that he meant China 'would come in the back door at a later date.' On January 23, 2017 he directed the U.S. to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The remaining 11 countries formed a successor pact, the CPTPP, and China formally applied to join it on September 16, 2021, with the United States outside the bloc.