The Covid-19 pandemic has set off a wave of destruction in the global economy and it could be years before full health is restored.  Free trade has become harder to sell, with the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) now coming under increased scrutiny. The CPTPP strives to deepen integration more than the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime and other free trade agreements in areas such as intellectual property rights and the digital economy, but it does not seem set up to benefit small and medium enterprises (SMEs) very much, said Kaewkamol Pitakdumrongkit, an Assistant Professor at the Center for Multilateralism Studies at the RSIS.