SINGAPORE—The ministerial talks for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade accord that ended Tuesday in Singapore failed to reach a broad agreement. But even if Japan, the United States and emerging economies agree on the pact in the future by making concessions in their talks, they will nonetheless face thornier issues, including one on harmonizing tariff rates for the same kind of product—a key to maximizing trade liberalization’s positive effects.

(Reuters) - Three top U.S. lawmakers on key congressional committees have reached a bipartisan deal on legislation the White House needs to advance international trade agreements and will introduce the measure early next month, congressional aides said on Saturday. The Trade Promotion Authority legislation, which would let the White House put trade agreements before Congress for an up or down vote without amendments, is considered crucial to enacting trade deals and could pave the way for major accords with Pacific Rim and European trading partners.

As participating countries failed to reconcile a variety of conflicts, including one between Japan and the United States, an accord on creating a new free trade zone in Asia and the Pacific region has been postponed till next year. A rough road lies ahead for the negotiations. A ministerial meeting of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks ended in Singapore on Tuesday.

SINGAPORE, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Ministers in 12-nation Trans-Pacific trade talks said on Tuesday they had yet to reach agreement on tariffs and other market access issues, with the timing of a completed deal looking increasingly unclear.  Ministers said they had made significant progress during four days of meetings in Singapore, but the talks ended with no clear indication of a time frame to clinch the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreements.

(Reuters) - Bilateral talks between Japan and the United States held as part of negotiations on a Pacific trade pact ended without an agreement on Monday, with Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari saying that gaps still remained between the two sides. U.S. and Japanese differences over agricultural tariffs are one of the major hurdles facing the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and time is running out to find a way forward at the latest round of talks which wrap up in Singapore on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI, Feb 25 (Reuters) - India has decided to block investigations by the United States into its trade policies and patent laws, and prepare for a battle at the World Trade Organization (WTO), a move that could escalate already-strained tension between the two countries. New Delhi is furious about a threat of trade sanctions made by the U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) office over its protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), preference for domestic producers and non-trade barriers.

A US trade panel voted Monday to extend antidumping duties on persulfates from China after the third five-year review of the measures imposed initially in 1997. The US International Trade Commission (USITC) voted against revoking the existing duty orders on persulfates from China, saying it "would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time."

HANOI, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is expected to earn 4.33 billion U.S. dollars from exporting agro-forestry-fishery products in the first two months of 2014, up 9.4 percent year-on-year, said a report by Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Tuesday.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Ministerial Meeting in Singapore continued on February 24, focusing on opening the market for commodities, textiles and garments, investment, financial services and government procurement.

The TPP Ministerial Meeting is taking place in Singapore from February 22 to 25 with participation of ministers from 12 TPP countries.  Ministers from the 12 Asia-Pacific countries, namely Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam have gathered here for the meeting.