LIMA, November 16. /TASS/. Moscow views as foolishness the media reports about negotiations at APEC about a new trade association, comprising Russia and China but not the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large, Russia's APEC Senior Official Valery Sorokin told TASS on Wednesday.
"It is foolishness," Sorokin said. "The Asia-Pacific zone of free trade will be open, inclusive and will incorporate all. After the start of detailed talks, it will be each economy’s individual discussion - to join it or not," he added.
"Russia, China and all main APEC’s economies were initially invited to participate in talks on forming the agreement on the free trade zine," Sorokin said adding that he does not know "what Australian media meant precisely."
"No talks are held in APEC, of course, on excluding someone," the diplomat stressed. "We, China and the majority of APEC’s economies are against excluding anyone," he concluded.
The Australian newspaper reported earlier citing sources in Canberra that participants in the APEC summit in Lima may consider the proposal on forming a new international trade association that will include China and Russia but exclude the United States.