E009: Dr. Michael Plummer, Eni Professor of International Economics at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and Director of SAIS Europe, discusses all things Asia, emphasizing the three things he thinks are “the big news” from the region: the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); and economic integration in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He explains why political and strategic implications surrounding trade negotiations are often more important than the economic ones, using his own research on India’s withdrawal from RCEP to demonstrate the point. He also tells us why we should be paying more attention to ASEAN. Opinions expressed on Trade Matters are solely those of the guest or host and not the Yeutter Institute or the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Show Notes: Going It Alone in the Asia-Pacific: Regional Trade Agreements Without the United States by Peter A. Petri, Michael G. Plummer, Shujiro Urata, and Fan Zhai The Truth About Trade by Douglas A. Irwin