US lawmakers seem open to narrower Asian trade pact in wake of TPP failure

Spurred by supply chain interruptions, US lawmakers appeared open on Tuesday to engaging with allies in Asia on a multilateral trade agreement after Washington's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership four years ago. Senator Tom Carper, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs and Global Competitiveness, and John Cornyn, the panel's ranking Republican, agreed with former US trade negotiator Wendy Cutler that re-engaging with Asian countries on a narrower pact as a starting point is in the US interest. "The coronavirus pandemic has shown just how much Americans rely on the internet for work, for education for…