A senior U.S. government official has stressed that concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal is Washington's most important Asia-Pacific policy goal this year.<br />In a statement submitted to a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday,... Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs said failing to wrap up the twelve-nation deal this year would be a major setback for the U.S.<br />He added that the TPP could help East Asia and the Pacific for the century to come... if it is sorted out soon,... noting China's rapid rise in power and influence.<br />Russel's remarks come as the Obama administration has faced stiffening resistance in the Senate to "fast-tracking" legislation related to the TPP.
