Bloomberg News
LIMA, Peru — Leaders of Pacific Rim nations meeting here on Sunday are pushing back against growing skepticism toward free-trade deals in the U.S. and elsewhere, promising to continue strengthening economic ties.
In doing so, leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which accounts for almost 60% of global gross domestic product, sent a message to President-elect Donald Trump that they would move forward with trade pacts with or without the U.S.
“We have to give an unequivocal message to the world that trade continues being beneficial,” said Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, a 78-year-old former World Bank economist who called for “protectionism to be defeated.”
Trump’s election has loomed over the summit of 21 nations, which includes the U.S., China, Japan and Mexico. The meeting rounds off President Barack Obama’s last overseas trip before he leaves office in January.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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