Malaysia will not budge from stance on TPPA amidst fears of US' exit

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will not budge from its stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), despite fears of a US' exit from the multinational deal.
International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the agreement would be beneficial to Malaysia as it brings upon greater economic advantages to the country.
He said the TPPA would be on the agenda at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit next week in Peru, which would also be attended by Malaysian officials.
"Malaysia will not move from its stance as the agreement is beneficial to the country," he told Dewan Rakyat during the Minister's Question Time.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (PAS - Kota Baru) who wanted to know Malaysia's stand on the TPPA following the outcome of the US presidential election.
President-elect Donald Trump was highly critical towards TPPA, stating that the agreement was not favourable to the US.
Mustapa said although there might be policy changes during Trump's presidency, it would not be as radical as many would have thought.
"We expect that the US policy will continue to remain open and we believe Malaysia-US ties will continue to remain strong," he said.