The prospects for the US Congress to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement are looking increasingly dim this year, despite continued efforts by the White House to build support for the deal in a fraught election climate. Meanwhile, efforts to advance negotiations for another Asia-Pacific deal – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which does not include the US – are also reportedly facing strong headwinds, with some officials suggesting that plans to conclude talks this year are becoming less likely. The relationship between the two trade deals – which have some overlap in membership – has already been hotly debated, with some suggesting that they can be complementary, while others suggesting that they could lead to very different approaches to trade rule-making in the region. Indeed, the advances and struggles in both trade pacts are expected to be watched closely in the months to come, particularly amid continued discussions among members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum for a future Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). TPP prospects in Washington, Tokyo Over six months after the TPP was signed in Auckland, New Zealand, the mammoth mega-regional deal with rules on areas ranging from environment to e-commerce is...