Trade Ministers from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum will discuss the rising trend for nations, including Japan, to embrace subregional free trade agreements, when they meet next month, according to a draft agenda.
"Ministers will be invited to discuss recent developments in subregional trade agreements and the inter-relationships with broader APEC and WTO (World Trade Organization) frameworks," the agenda for the June 6-7 meeting in Darwin, Australia, reads.
Disenchanted with the failure of the WTO to launch a new round of multilateral trade talks in Seattle last December, more countries are now showing interest in subregional or bilateral free trade agreements.
It will be the first time for subregional trade agreements to be taken up as a main agenda item of an APEC ministerial meeting, APEC officials said.