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ASEAN

FTA held up by trivial items
10-Dec-2005
TOILET seats, dolls and chewing gum were some of the products a bemused Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said had presented a hitch to the negotiations to the Asean-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA).
Rough ride for some Asean FTA talks
10-Dec-2005
Asean Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong admitted Saturday that some of Asean’s free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations were difficult, and cited talks with India, Japan and South Korea as examples.
Comment: "Smug calculations" lack sincerity, analysis
10-Dec-2005 People’s Daily
Japan is craving a "return to Asia", and the kernel of its regional strategy is to "Japanize" regional policies, legal system, industrial division and financial and monetary fields. It mainly targets some ASEAN countries, at the same time avoiding Free Trade Agreement (FTA) but bending on Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
India, Asean to consider free-trade pact by ’07
10-Dec-2005 Times of India
India and the Association of South East Asian Nations aim to forge a free-trade agreement by the start of ’07, both sides said after a meeting on Friday.
Rice row threatens ASEAN-South Korea free-trade deal
9-Dec-2005 AFP
A row over Asia’s staple food, rice, is threatening to scuttle a proposed free-trade deal between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and South Korea, which wants to protect the key sector from tariff cuts.
ASEAN to ink FTAs with India, S Korea
8-Dec-2005
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is expected to sign free trade agreements next week with India and South Korea, Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz has said.
FTA with ASEAN benefits Kaesong products
6-Dec-2005
Goods made in the North Korean border city of Kaesong will likely benefit from a free trade agreement (FTA) to be signed between South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year, a senior presidential aide said Tuesday.
Korea pushing for FTAs with ASEAN by next year
6-Dec-2005
Korea aims to close free trade agreements with ASEAN countries by the end of 2006, presidential adviser for foreign affairs Chung Woo-sung said Tuesday. The government will seek to sign basic agreements during Korea-ASEAN summit talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Dec. 13.
Hyundai to put up plant in RP soon
6-Dec-2005 Manila Times
Hyundai Motor Co. will put up a car-assembly plant in the Philippines after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and South Korea forge a free-trade agreement, according to the Korean carmaker’s sole distributor in Manila.
Seoul to sign trade deal with ASEAN
1-Dec-2005
Korea is expected to sign a framework agreement for free trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in mid-December.
US and Asean agree on stronger links
18-Nov-2005 Bangkok Post
Kantathi Suphamongkhon, the Thai foreign minister, said the partnership, known as the Asean-US Trade and Investment Framework, could lead to a regional free trade area agreement between the 10 members and the US.
India, look ahead: A two-pronged strategy for boosting trade
17-Nov-2005
The current state of play in the Doha Round negotiations underlines the importance of stronger bilateral and regional trading agreements for India. As of now, India has concluded trading agreements with Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore. In the regional context, Safta and Bimstec are yet to really takeoff.
Attracting FDI through the spread of free trade agreements
10-Nov-2005 Thai Labour Campaign
This paper shows how free trade agreements (FTAs) in Southeast Asia are essentially a means to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) at the expense of labour standards. It explores the significance of FDI in export-oriented industrialisation and for economic transformation in Southeast Asia, with emphasis on the increasing global competition for FDI.
Chile seeks FTAs with 11 Asian countries
8-Nov-2005 Ohmynews
After the negotiations on a possible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China, the Chilean government already started a route to conquer the rest of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. The list has 11 countries.
Trade deals mushroom, with or without WTO
31-Oct-2005 DowJones News
A World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December is looming as key to the shape of free trade in Asia in the 21st century as countries within the region intensify their interest in integrating their markets.
Prospects seen dim for Japan trade pact
30-Oct-2005 JoongAng Daily
Korea’s top trade official voiced pessimism about the prospects for signing a free trade agreement with Japan and the United States, but was more hopeful about future trade accords with other nations.
Singhing in a new free trade zone
27-Oct-2005 Economic Times
Move over World Trade Organization (WTO), regional trade arrangements are here to rule.
China, ASEAN march towards world’s 3rd largest FTA
23-Oct-2005 People’s Daily
With a fast growing trade volume, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are trying to show the world that the planned free trade area will be an accelerator for regional economy.
ASEAN talks hit a trade barrier
23-Oct-2005 The Age
Australia and New Zealand want a comprehensive free trade agreement with ASEAN, but some ASEAN nations have no competition policy, and reject any negotiations on intellectual property and government procurement.
The dynamics of regional trading arrangements
20-Oct-2005 South Centre
There has been a spate of trade agreements signed between countries in recent years - from the same region and even beyond. And this may not necessarily have to do with the fact that it has been a tough going for the multilateral trading system. Regionalism may have its own dynamics.