The document discusses two major trade agreements in Asia - the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) led by the US and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) involving China. The negotiations between these two trading blocks will determine the global balance of economic power for years to come. Both agreements aim to lower trade barriers but RCEP is more modest, seeking incremental commitments. The conclusions drawn are that China is willing to engage in regional economic cooperation even if it means absorbing norms that go against its own policies, demonstrating its emergence as the regional hegemon in Asia-Pacific and shift in power from the US.