Lets clear things up a little, the TPP is just a trade pact, that could potentially tie Korea and Japan to a free trade pact that is potentially harmful to their economy, there's no immediate long term benefit seen from such a trade pact only that it could harm both countries agricultural produce that one is for certain. Without China participation, the TPP is basically rather worthless, and with China destine to restructure their economy and become the largest consumer nation in 5 years, China do not need to apply to such a pact. Excluding China from certain trades using the TPP will amount to cutting your own nose because China can also do the same when it comes to a trade war, by not expanding further Korean imports for example, the loss of Chinese market far outnumber the ability for any countries within the TPP to absorb such a blow, so any serious economist can't see such a pact as a containment. No country will sacrifice their economic interest and in this context the TPP is really a worthless free trade block without Chinese participation, and if it isn't fair and exploitative in nature China will simply not participate in such a bloc, but one thing is for certain, Chinese market in the future can never be ignored. The main purpose of the TPP is to coax China to join and play under a certain rule of the Free Trade pact that might be exploitative in nature to China's economy and export innovation, not going to happen, China simply don't join, and other countries like Koreea and Japan will need to expand their exports to China in the future or loss out, as other countries fill the void, all this talk about TPP as a containment tool is merely talk, but it carries no punch, since you can't use the TPP to substitute Chinese, manufacturing capacity and consumer power, both factors that immensely beneficial to these countries.