The Canadian government could end up backing efforts to create a huge free trade zone joining 21 Pacific Rim countries, International Trade Minister David Emerson said Tuesday.

Emerson made the remarks to reporters on a conference call from Vietnam, where he is preparing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit that begins later this week.

"Certainly we are alive to it, we are interested in it," Emerson said.

"The Americans are, the Australians are; a number of countries are very intrigued by the prospect of some evolution of APEC into a substantial free-trade grouping."

Emerson said a WTO-led global trade deal would be the most preferable way to pursue a lowering of world trade barriers. But the current round of global trade talks — the so-called Doha Round — was suspended four months ago over the inability to reach agreement that would see rich countries reduce their agricultural subsidies.

Many expect the Doha round of talks will eventually collapse. If that happens, Emerson said he thinks APEC would likely be "the most attractive multilateral alternative simply because of the nature of the economies that you're dealing with, the kinds of growth and so on." 

The 21 APEC countries include Canada, the U.S., China, Japan and other nations that border the Pacific Ocean. Together, they account for more than half of the world's GDP.

The APEC leaders attending this year's meeting are expected to issue a statement calling for a resumption of the Doha talks.

With files from the Canadian Press