The leaders of countries involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations said Monday they now have a clearer vision for completing their talks but admitted failing to fix a fresh time frame for a final agreement after it became unrealistic to strike a deal by the end of the year as originally proposed by Washington.
The end of the talks is "coming into focus," U.S. President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and 10 other leaders said in a joint statement released after a summit held in Beijing.
The leaders "welcome the significant progress in recent months" that sets the stage for a TPP deal, the statement said, adding that "continued engagement will be critical."