Malaysia supports a plan to study the setting up of pan-Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) free trade deal but any decision should not be binding on the member economies, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said, according to Malaysian News Agency Bernama. "If the study finds it justifiable to have a pan-Apec free trade area, Apec member countries must have the freedom to decide whether to join or not. "We do not object to the study, mooted by Australia, to be undertaken," she said at the opening of the Sipro Plastic Industries' Bukit Beruntung factory. Touching on climate change, Rafidah said Australia and the US should not use next week's Apec leaders' summit to discuss it as it was not the right forum. Australia wants to put climate change on top of the Apec agenda at the summit. "It is unfortunate that the people who are talking about climate change like America are not even members of the Kyoto Protocol. "If you want to talk about it, please join the rest of the global community to make commitments about managing climate change," she said. Apec economies account for half the world's trade. Apec members comprise Australia, Canada, China, Chile, Hong Kong, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the US.
