Trade ministers to meet as TPP talks progress towards final deal

Washington

NEGOTIATORS from 12 Pacific nations crafting a regional free trade pact will meet in Hawaii later this month, with the US signalling that "considerable progress" has been made toward a final deal.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would create a market with nations from the US and Mexico to Japan and Vietnam, representing about 40 per cent of the world's economic output. It is a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's bid to refocus US foreign policy towards Asia.