Masayuki Naoshima JAPAN TIMES PHOTO

Trade ministers from Pacific Rim economies are trumpeting the "significant progress" made toward attaining self-imposed goals to free up regional trade, while embracing the need to make concrete efforts to create a regionwide free-trade zone.

Noting the Asia-Pacific region is now gaining weight in the global economy, they are also calling for a regional growth strategy to be devised at their leaders' summit in Yokohama in November, which Japan as chair hopes will be a key component of new policy goals envisaged for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

"We hope to compile in the summit new policy goals that look at the future of the Asia-Pacific by accelerating talks on concrete efforts in three areas — economic integration, growth strategy and human security," said caretaker Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki Naoshima on June 6 after a two-day meeting of the 21-member forum.

Kyodo News