US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (L) speaks to Japan's Minister of Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko prior to a joint press conference held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 23rd Ministers responsible for Trade Meeting in Hanoi on May 21, 2017.
The United States will not return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Washington's trade chief Robert Lighthizer said on May 21, as the 11 other countries involved scrambled to save the free trade deal.  / AFP PHOTO / POOL / HOANG DINH Nam        (Photo credit should read HOANG DINH NAM/AFP via Getty Images)