The 12 countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations will hold a ministerial meeting in Singapore between Dec. 7 and 9 with the aim of concluding a deal by year's end, official sources said.
It will be the stage for the countries to make a final effort toward resolving difficult issues such as tariff eliminations, with Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Chile aiming to eliminate all tariffs while countries like Japan seeking to keep some to protect sensitive domestic industries.
The meeting will be held on the heels of the World Trade Organization's Dec. 3-6 ninth ministerial conference in Bali.