Trading Places: America, Japan and Regional Trade on the Chessboard

This week Mike is joined by Mireya Solis, director of the Center
for East Asia Policy Studies, Philip Knight Chair in Japan Studies,
and a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings, to
discuss the regional trade architecture of the Asia-Pacific. The
two start off by analyzing the geopolitical significance of RCEP
and CPTPP, and what the lack of U.S. participation in both trade
agreements means for U.S. trade strategy under the Biden
Administration. Mireya also dives deeper into Japan’s economic
strategy in Asia, and argues that Japanese leadership in the region
is likely to continue given its status as the third largest economy
in the world, its role as a rule-maker in the region, and its
ability to fill the U.S. vacuum. How have the Asia-Pacific
countries stitched the region together over the past few years, and
what can the U.S. do to improve its credibility in the region?