China says it is studying the possibility of joining the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, about a month after the existing 11 members allowed Japan to join the negotiations.
"We will analyze the advantages, disadvantages and the possibility of joining the TPP, based on careful research and according to principles of equality and mutual benefit," Shen Danyang, a Commerce Ministry spokesman, said in a statement on its website Thursday. "China also hopes to exchange information and materials with TPP members on the negotiations."
The nation's inclusion in the talks would bring together the world's three biggest economies, accounting for about 40 percent of global gross domestic product. Countries currently involved in the TPP completed the 17th round of talks in Peru last week and aim to reach an agreement by year's end.