Prime Minister Julia Gillard and eight other Asia-Pacific leaders are expected to agree on the broad outline of an ambitious new free trade deal.
Ms Gillard will join US President Barack Obama and the leaders of New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Peru, Chile and Brunei for a meeting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Honolulu on Saturday morning, local time (Sunday morning AEDT).
The talks are happening on the sidelines of the APEC leaders summit.
“I am hoping that here we will be able to embrace a framework for the TPP free trade agreement,” Ms Gillard said ahead of the TPP meeting.
“We want this to be a comprehensive, ambitious trade agreement.”
Ms Gillard is expected to meet with the leaders of Vietnam and the Philippines later in the day.
She will also meet with Admiral Robert Willard, who leads the US Pacific Command.
Finally, she will attend an APEC opening dinner to be hosted by US President Barack Obama.
The leaders summit itself occurs the following day.
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