FILE PHOTO: Taro Aso, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services of Japan, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 1, 2017. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
November 10, 2017
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said on Friday that he was not aware that a final agreement had been reached among the 11 remaining members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) because of some lingering issues involving Mexico and Vietnam.
Aso told reporters after a cabinet meeting that an agreement among the TPP-11 would be a “good thing” for global trade.
Ministers from the 11 countries met in the resort of Danang in Vietnam on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to discuss how to proceed with the deal after the United States withdrew.
Mexico’s trade minister said on Thursday the TPP countries had reached agreement in talks, but he gave no details and said there would be an announcement on Friday.
(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim)
