China weighing up TPP, says commerce ministry

BEIJING - China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday the country will actively participate in and push forward regional free trade arrangements that feature high-degree transparency, openness and inclusiveness.

An MOC statement said the ministry has noticed the signing of the the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and is weighing up this regional trade deal, which China has not signed.

"The TPP is an extensive agreement. China is studying it and evaluation work is under way," according to the MOC statement issued after representatives of 12 nations including the United States and Japan signed the TPP at a ceremony in New Zealand on Thursday.

"We hope the various free trade arrangements in the Asia-Pacific region will complement each other and jointly contribute to trade, investment and economic growth of this region," said the statement.