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U.S. beef row tests nation’s resolve to liberalize trade: minister
Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy Yang said Friday that the U.S. beef dispute not only involves beef but is also related to how the country shows its resolve to liberalize trade and strengthen its competitive edge.
Changing partners in commerce
The calls to boycott American goods and services in the wake of the recent resolution at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) have highlighted the fact that Sri Lanka’s export trade is heavily dependent on a narrow slew of countries.
Financial services to be kept out of SAFTA talks: Government
The government has decided to exclude financial services from the SAARC agreement on trade in services, following strong objection from the Reserve Bank of India, or RBI. The central bank has argued that India has already allowed access to foreign banks under the World Trade Organization agreement.
India, Pakistan to start discussions on import duties cut
India and Pakistan will soon begin discussions on a preferential trading arrangement to lower import duties on an array of goods. The talks will be held under ambit of South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) signed eight years ago between member states of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), a senior Indian official said on Saturday.
New Canadian strategy for Americas expected
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is poised to unveil a reinvigoration of his government’s muddled Americas strategy when he meets with hemispheric leaders next month.
’We can’t even manage to send a lemon to the US,’ CFK
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner questioned US president Barack Obama’s recent decision to suspend trade benefits for Argentina, while complaining that “we can’t even manage to get one of our lemons to enter the US market.”
VN attends dialogue towards TPP signing
Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong underscored Vietnam’s determination to speed up the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement at a dialogue between ambassadors of the TPP member countries and the US New Democrat Coalition, in the US on March 28.
Key needs to get tough over trade deal
Prime Minister John Key will be disappointed to leave Seoul without a firm commitment from Lee Myung-bak to finalise the bilateral free trade negotiations before the South Korean President leaves office this year.
Unbalanced free trade deals costing us jobs
Rebuilding a strong, vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector in Canada by signing more free trade agreements is like saying our society can be healthier if only we ate more chocolate. It’s backwards logic.
European Commission/CARIFORUM Agreements to Boost Regional Integration
According to a news release from the CARICOM Secretariat, the Caribbean Forum of African Caribbean and Pacific States (CARIFORUM) and the European Commission (EC) on Wednesday (Mar. 28) signed three financial agreements designed to boost the Caribbean Region’s ability to deliver tangible results of integration to its populace.
EU bemoans pace of EPA implementation
The European Union (EU) representative to the region on Thursday pulled no punches as he criticised regional governments and the private sector for moving slowly to give effect to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that was signed more than three years ago.
No Korean FTA today - Gillard
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will raise the topic of free trade with the South Korean president, but a final deal could be some way off.
Diversion of FTA benefits
Importers and distributors, not consumers, are the chief beneficiaries of free trade agreements (FTA). Korea badly needs drastic reform in the distribution channels as consumers are victims of price gouging.