APEC ministers advocate free and fair trade

At a press conference following the meeting, Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shou Wen said China commits to supporting a global multilateral trade system and making joint efforts to prevent protectionism and reducing trade risk. 

US trade representative Robert Lighthizer said APEC helps create a consensus on fair global trade, which is also a goal that the US wants to promote. 

Lighthizer said although the US has withdrawn from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the country will continue to cooperate with TPP member economies on a bilateral basis. 

The US aims for free and fair trade which is also a goal of such mechanisms as APEC or the World Trade Oganisation (WTO), he stated. 

Commenting on the prospect of TPP, New Zealand Minister of Industry and Trade Todd Michael McClay expressed hope that the deal will continue to be deployed to bring benefits to businesses and the people. 

According to him, New Zealand will take specific actions to launch the deal.-