As the proposed deadline for sealing a deal by year's end looms, ministers from 12 countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks are tasked with making tough political decisions as they meet in Singapore from Saturday, with hard negotiations on outstanding issues lying ahead.
The four-day meeting is expected to be the last opportunity for Japan, the United States and 10 other countries bordering the Pacific Ocean to try to realize the ambitious economic initiative — encompassing roughly one-third of all world trade — on schedule.
However, many doubt whether they can make a coordinated effort to break through contentious topics ranging from how to deal with tariffs to intellectual property rights to state-owned firms, as some members like Malaysia, which are against the hard-line U.S. stance, have suggested the bloc may not meet the time frame.