A delegate walks past a summit logo during the meeting of Apec ministers in Hanoi on Saturday. (EPA photo)HANOI - Pacific Rim trade ministers have been struggling to finalise a joint statement in Hanoi at the first meeting that new US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer has attended, Japanese government sources said on Sunday. In the worst-case scenario, a joint statement will not be issued after the Apec meeting scheduled to end later in the day, one of the sources said. Lighthizer made his international debut at the Apec meeting after he became chief trade negotiator earlier this month. On the sidelines of the Apec gathering, ministers from 11 Trans-Pacific Partnership countries met on Sunday, while trade ministers from the 16-member Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (Rcep) are slated to hold talks on Monday.

Source: Bangkok Post May 21, 2017 04:30 UTC