Asian leaders see fitful progress on trade pact

TOKYO (AP) — Talks on a Pacific Rim trade pact are making progress, Asian leaders say, though the outlook for a deal this year remains uncertain.

Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, told a conference in Tokyo on Thursday that the 12 nations involved in the negotiations need to reach an agreement on the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership before U.S. congressional elections in November.