Editorial Board
Meet the New Leaders on Global Trade
Abandoned by the U.S., the 11 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact are going ahead anyway.
Australia and Japan talked Canada around.
Photographer: Shizuo Kambayashi/AFP/Getty ImagesIn the space of a few hours on Tuesday, what had been increasingly obvious became all but official: The U.S. is no longer leading the world economy.
The U.S. withdrawal is signaled by the Trump administration's announcement of new tariffs on solar panels and washing machines. Dispiriting as this choice may be -- not to mention bad for U.S. workers and consumers -- it's good news that the 11 remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have stepped into the resulting void.