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Presidential office welcomes parliamentary approval of U.S. FTA
22-Nov-2011
South Korea’s presidential office welcomed the parliamentary approval of the free trade agreement with the United States, saying the government will continue to come up with support measures for farmers and others.
Different trade agreements will not divide ASEAN: RI
21-Nov-2011
Despite different stances on the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact, Southeast Asian nations will stay together to consolidate trade deals they already have with six partner countries to boost trade within the group, an Indonesian official says.
ASEAN’s free trade links with US gain prominence
21-Nov-2011
President Barack Obama’s presence at the East Asia trade summit in Bali has reinforced US efforts to engage with Asia.
Cigarette plain packaging laws pass Parliament
21-Nov-2011
The Federal Government’s plain packaging laws for cigarettes have now passed both houses of Parliament but are facing their first legal challenge.
Sadc, EAC, Comesa free trade talks begin in December
20-Nov-2011
First round of negotiations to establish the $1 trillion Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) covering 27 countries in eastern and southern Africa are scheduled to start next month, the head of the taskforce spearheading the process has said.
Trade pact with South Africa Customs Union by next year
20-Nov-2011
India is expected to sign the much-awaited preferential trade agreement (PTA) with South Africa Customs Union (SACU) by the first quarter of 2012, as both sides are currently engaged in active negotiations on seeking greater access of each others’ markets and easier movement of professionals.
Beware the limits of latest free trade deal
20-Nov-2011
Despite claims to the contrary by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the nine-country Trans-Pacific Partnership announced this week is not good news for Australia.
Japan reneges on JPEPA commitment
19-Nov-2011
The local automotive industry has asked the government to remind Japan of its commitment to bring in fresh investments into the Philippines under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement.
Harper government should heed calls for freer trade in dairy, poultry
19-Nov-2011
The Harper government should bite the political bullet and agree to start dismantling the controversial supply-management system for dairy, poultry and egg farmers to boost Canada’s access to robust Asia-Pacific markets, analysts said Wednesday.
Mercosur is not moving but Uruguay “will not stay put licking its wounds”
19-Nov-2011
Uruguayan president Jose Mujica said that Mercosur “is not moving forward or backwards” but is certainly working much better than the European Union where old experienced nations “made a mess of it”. Nevertheless, Uruguay will not stay put “licking its wounds”, it will look for other trade links.
PM sets March 2012 deadline for services FTA with Asean
19-Nov-2011
There are few places in Southeast Asia that carry as deep an imprint of India’s civilisational links as Bali, a majority Hindu island in a country that has the world’s largest Islamic population.
Discussions Start On Industrial Policy
19-Nov-2011
The country’s draft policy on industrialisation is finally ready for public discussion after years of private sector grousing over its absence and the consequent devastating effects on Namibia’s overall market competitiveness.
Botswana stands to lose billions in SACU revenues
19-Nov-2011
The global economic crisis, along with other evolving structural factors within SACU, could cut a P5-billion permanent hole in revenues that Botswana receives from the customs union, the IMF estimates.
U.S. has never agreed to detrimental FTA revision: study
19-Nov-2011
An examination of past free trade agreements ratified by the United States showed there have been no post-ratification amendments detrimental to the United States.
Dissension within DP over united opposition to KORUS FTA
19-Nov-2011
Controversy is flaring within the Democratic Party (DP) over remarks about the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) by Incheon Mayor Song Young-gil and South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung.
Trade winds: India-EU FTA may face a delay
19-Nov-2011
There is little chance that the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) would be signed before or at the India-EU summit to be held in New Delhi in February next year, a top German official said.
Ecuador, ¿verdaderamente libre de transgénicos?
18-Nov-2011 Pandemic of Lies: The Exile
En el Ecuador la entrada de productos de soya provenientes de países donde casi la totalidad de los sembríos de dicha leguminosa es transgénica crea serias sospechas de que se estuviera infringiendo el Art. 401 de la Constitución 2008 que declara al país “libre de cultivos y semillas transgénicas”.
TPP may affect China’s possible FTA with S. Korea, Japan: scholar
17-Nov-2011
An envisioned regional free trade agreement in the Asia-Pacific may affect China’s possible free trade agreements with South Korea and Japan, giving the world’s No. 2 economy less bargaining power, a Chinese scholar said Thursday.
ASEAN’s newer members and the Asian noodle bowl: coming to grips with multilateralism
17-Nov-2011 EABER
Jayant Menon discusses the trade policy challenges faced by Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV)—the newest members of ASEAN. The paper concludes that the multilateralised single-rate system is a better alternative to the multiple-rate system and thus suggests that CLMV countries should follow the original ASEAN members and multilateralize their CEPT tariff preferences. It encourages both old and new members to do the same, especially in the context of proliferating ASEAN+1 FTAs
Pak talks trade pact with India, inches closer to MFN status
14-Nov-2011 Business Standard
Bilateral trade talks between New Delhi and Islamabad inched yet another step towards Pakistan granting India a ‘most favoured nation’ (MFN) status, even as both neighbours today laid “strong foundation” for a preferential trade agreement.