Singapore

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong is hoping that developments on a new framework for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) - one that excludes the United States - will emerge by November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders' summit in Vietnam.

In an interview with CNBC on Friday, ahead of his visit to the US and meeting with Donald Trump in the coming week, he said the remaining 11 members of the TPP group are still discussing how to take the trade pact forward, with the US president having pulled the US out of the multinational deal.