Foreign and trade ministers of 21 Pacific Rim economies were working Wednesday to reach a consensus on open markets, AP reported. Vietnamese Foreign Affairs Minister Pham Binh Minh told delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that shifting global and regional conditions come with "intertwining opportunities and challenges" as they began working out details of a declaration their leaders customarily issue at end of the annual gathering. "Economic recovery is firming but projected growth rates are still below pre-crisis averages," he said. Many in the region worry about how efforts to boost productivity through automation might affect their own lives, he added.
