So how easy might it be to get the United States back into the CPTPP?  That depends on how the United States chooses to behave.  If the US were to come to the current 11 parties and ask to reenter on the same terms it had prior to exit, it would be considerably easier.  After all, the current 11 locked down the agreement as it stood at the time of US exit, minus 20 provisions that were suspended.  The entire text was otherwise unchanged.  All market access commitments between members were untouched. These were painful concessions by the 11 to the United States.  Many of the 11 members wanted to make changes in the wake of US withdrawal to better match their domestic audience demands for adjustment.  This was largely not done. Instead, as our previous Policy Brief noted, just 20 elements of the legal text were suspended.  These provisions were not removed entirely, but merely set aside for later consideration. If the US comes back in the near term, the CPTPP could take effect exactly as originally negotiated with all the existing market access commitments for the US still intact and the rulebook as agreed upon under the CPTPP.