国际英语资讯:Japans Abe seeks support for EPA trade deal with EU via bustling Eastern Europe visit_时事

国际英语资讯:Japans Abe seeks support for EPA trade deal with EU via bustling Eastern Europe visit

BUCHAREST, Jan. 16 -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Tuesday ended his bustling Eastern Europe visit, five days in six countries, with an unpleasant incident in his last leg in Romania, where the sudden resignation of the country's prime minister left Abe in a disturbed agenda.

Instead of meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Abe joined his wife's agenda to visit the Village Museum.

In such an unexpected way, the Japanese prime minister had to end his six-country European tour, through which he sought to lobby for more support to Japan's free trade pact with European Union (EU).

But compared with the core aim of Abe's tight-scheduled Eastern Europe visit, how to end it seems not so important.

Seeking the rapid ratification of a trade accord with EU is the final target of Abe's visit.

The trade agreement between Japan and the EU, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) was reached last December during the Estonian presidency of the Council of the EU. Yet, the ratification process in Europe could face risks, as it was revealed that the recently closed trade deal with Canada has been almost blocked by political leaders of Wallonia, a region of Belgium.

To avoid the worst situation, Abe started his European tour with Estonia, focusing intensely on assuring support for the most-needed free trade agreement with EU.

And the trade deal is indeed a most-needed one for Japan and for Abe, whose economic policies just focus on boosting the economic growth of the country, including a stubborn devaluation of its currency in order to help exporters.