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ASEAN

Japanese govt to propose big Asian free-trade zone
4-Apr-2006 AFX
The Japanese government plans to propose the formation of an Asian free-trade zone which could include half the world’s population and rival the EU and NAFTA, an official of the trade ministry said.
India-Asean FTA hits a roadblock
25-Mar-2006 NDTV
The India-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has hit a roadblock with Agriculture Ministry objecting to inclusion of farm products like pepper, rubber, palm oil, coffee and tea in the tariff liberalisation programme.
India in center of effort for world’s largest free trade area
22-Mar-2006 World Peace Herald
India is pushing ahead on negotiations for free trade agreements with a series of Asian and Middle East countries that are expected to result in the emergence of the world’s largest free trade area by population.
Decision on Asean-EU free trade pact in August
17-Mar-2006 Business Times
The European Union (EU) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) are still studying the possibility of having free trade agreements (FTAs) either on a regional basis or bilaterally with individual countries, says European Commission ambassador and head of delegation Thierry Rommel.
Vietnam: FTA or not?
14-Mar-2006 VietNamNet Bridge
As Vietnam’s bid to join the WTO comes to its conclusion, economic experts are drawing the public’s attention to another topic: What should Vietnam do about free trade agreements (FTA) within ASEAN?
Japan to resume free-trade talks with Asean in April
13-Mar-2006 Manila Times
The Japanese government has decided to resume stalled talks with Asean over signing a free-trade deal from next month, as other Asian nations rush to conclude such agreements.
Korea, ASEAN fail on FTA terms
10-Mar-2006
South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to agree on some details in the 10th round of their free trade agreement (FTA) talks this week, the country’s Agriculture Ministry said Friday.
‘Ensure customs relief to inputs in FTAs’
7-Mar-2006
The finance ministry has asked the commerce ministry to cover raw materials and intermediates in the free trade agreements (FTAs) being signed.
UNCTAD talks on trade remain inconclusive
25-Feb-2006 The Hindu
The UNCTAD negotiations held in Kochi to assess the impact of trade as per the WTO regime as well as the ASEAN FTA on the local agricultural and industrial sectors, elicited inadequate response from the stakeholders.
India, Asean toiling for pact on negative items under FTA
16-Feb-2006
India and Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) are struggling to reach an agreement on the list of sensitive items for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two sides. The sensitive or negative list contains items which will not be subjected to duty cuts agreed under the FTA.
Japan, ASEAN to resume free trade talks
12-Feb-2006 Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Saturday to resume official free trade agreement negotiations in March, as ASEAN welcomed Japan’s proposal of a common tariff-elimination method.
Vietnam, Japan to start FTA negotiations
7-Feb-2006 Xinhua
Vietnam and Japan will begin their first round of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in mid-February, local media on Monday quoted sources from the Vietnamese Trade Ministry.
EOs imperil vegetable, fruit industries
28-Jan-2006 ABS-CBN
The reduction of tariffs on wide range of agricultural products as mandated by Executive Orders 485 and 487 under the China-ASEAN FTA would impact the Philippines’ vegetable and fruit industries, a coalition of nongovernment organizations for the agriculture sector said.
India for pan-Asian trade agreement
28-Jan-2006 Financial Express
India on Friday expressed its desire for eventually expanding the proposed comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (Ceca) with Asean to a pan-Asian pact covering six more countries including Japan, China, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, aiming at a common economic community in East Asia.
China-ASEAN FTA agreement benefits China’s textile export
21-Jan-2006 Xinhua
Since China and the ASEAN started their tariff reduction process on July 1, 2005 on the basis of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) agreement, the ASEAN would gradually lower its tariff upon Chinese textile and apparel, which may increase China’s textile export to this region.
EU-Asean FTA talks at intense exploratory stage
19-Jan-2006 The Edge Daily
EU-Asean free trade talks are at "an intense" exploratory stage and the third high-level meeting of trade officials from both regions is scheduled to take place in Bangkok next week, said EU envoy to Malaysia, Thierry Rommel.
Pact’s progress
9-Jan-2006
The China-ASEAN FTA will form a huge market, with 1.85 billion consumers and a combined gross domestic product of almost US$2.5 trillion. Both sides hope to establish an FTA by 2010, and will gradually reduce export tariffs until then.
Asean proposes separate negative lists
26-Dec-2005 Financial Express
Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) has demanded that all its members should be allowed to maintain separate negative lists with India in the free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated between the two sides. It, however, wants India to have a common negative list for all the 10 Asean members.
Racing with tigers to catch up with dragon
24-Dec-2005 Economic Times
With multilateral talks through the World Trade Organisation moving rather slowly, the engagement with the Asian Tigers seems to be the Indian ‘Elephant’ economy’s chance to catch up with the Chinese Dragon.
Indonesia should set up FTA with Japan ’soon’
23-Dec-2005 Jakarta Post
Indonesia could lose US$400 million in potential export revenues per year if it does not establish a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan, while most other ASEAN members have done so to complement the region’s own free market in 2010, a study shows.