Trans-Pacific trade pact deadline in doubt as talks begin

Trade ministers from the United States and 11 other countries opened talks in an attempt to meet a US deadline to forge a Trans-Pacific trade pact before the end of the year.

However, analysts said an agreement on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was unlikely to be reached during the four-day meeting, and activists slammed the United States for its “manipulative” tactics in a bid to get a deal done.