HANOI, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- APEC ministers accepted here Wednesday five model measures on trade facilitation for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Regional Trading Agreements (RTAs), which, along with others, are to be endorsed by APEC leaders later this week.

    Trade and foreign ministers or representatives at a retreat of the 18th APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Joint Ministerial Meeting on Wednesday accepted the five model measures, including those on commodity trade, government purchase, technical barriers to trade, transparency and cooperation, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Mitsuo Sakaba told reporters.

    The model measure on cooperation involves different kinds of cooperation, including that on capacity building, he said, noting that his country's proposal on the model measure on investment has yet to be accepted.

    Under the context that construction of hundreds of FTAs/RTAs are either completed or underway, trade facilitation measures, when finalized, will be beneficial to all economies, especially developing ones as a readily available resource to aid their FTA/RTA negotiations.

    Delegates to the retreat also considered a U.S. proposal on establishing a free trade area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP).