Foreign and trade ministers from 21 Pacific Rim economies pledged Thursday to promote free trade in the face of rising protectionism, Japan's trade minister said, in a veiled counter to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his anti-globalism rhetoric.

"We agreed to push forward free trade to counter protectionist sentiments," Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko told reporters on the first day of a two-day ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima.

Separately, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said APEC members must show a "strong commitment" to free trade, since Trump won the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 8.