China will be calling for a commitment by the leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum toward the creation of a Pacific-rim free trade area by 2025, when they meet in November, according to a draft of a post-summit leaders' declaration.
Referring to a "Beijing Road Map" for APEC's contribution to the realization of a free trade area covering the Asia-Pacific region, the draft declaration says, "We affirm our commitment to the eventual realization of an FTAAP by 2025."
The time frame for establishing of an APEC-wide FTA, however, is shown in brackets, a sign that it could eventually be dropped from the declaration amid objections from the United States, Japan and other countries that have placed priority on the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership initiative.