Though China is notably absent from its list of signatories, officials in Beijing have hesitantly embraced Monday’s ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a historical trade deal that will link 40% of the global economy, the BBC reported. “China hopes the TPP pact and other free trade arrangements in the region can boost each other and contribute to the Asia-Pacific’s trade, investment and economic growth,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in a statement on Tuesday cited by China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. The TPP, finally approved in Atlanta on Monday after some seven years of negotiations, has been called the largest regional trade agreement in history.