However, it now appears that such diff erences will be less of a barrier to bilateral cooperation on other unrelated issues. According to officials at the talks, the pledge by both to pursue economic integration, including through the Trans-Pacific Part- nership framework, was promising given that cooperation in economic and trade matters has broad political and domestic backing in both countries. If there is indeed some meaningful follow-through in this and other areas, then this is not just good news for both countries but also for the region as a whole.