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ASEAN

Trade and investment climate needs improvement: New Zealand
5-Feb-2012
New Zealand expects Indonesia to improve its trade and investment climate to allow both countries to reap greater benefits from a recently implemented free trade agreement (FTA) among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Australia and New Zealand.
Asean-EU officials, business rep meet in Siem Reap to discuss FTA challenges
16-Jan-2012 Bernama
Officials and business representatives from the 10 Asean Member States and the European Union came together today in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of free trade agreements, as well as ways that Asean would benefit from free trade agreements.
Indonesia to sign FTA tomorrow
9-Jan-2012
Indonesia will sign the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand free trade agreement (FTA) tomorrow.
Japan to fund ASEAN’s economic cooperation initiatives
18-Dec-2011
Japan has agreed to begin funding economic cooperation initiatives with the ASEAN early next year as both parties finalized guidelines of project selection and management, a local trade official said on Friday.
Partnership deal on track; bilateral trade pact next?
14-Dec-2011
The Philippines is not ready to commit to negotiations but is still “very serious” about pursing a free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union, seen as a major export market and investment partner.
FTA with EU crucial for Malaysia to become high-income economy by 2020
8-Dec-2011
Malaysia’s free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) is crucial for the country to achieve its goal of becoming a high-income economy by 2020, says a European Commission spokesman.
Asean beefs up cooperation in finance, trade
28-Nov-2011
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is beefing up various frameworks for cooperation and development within the region and with its trading partners, in preparation for regional economic integration by 2015.
PH lags behind Asian countries in world trade: DTI
28-Nov-2011
The Philippine private sector has failed to maximize the preferential terms in trade agreements with developed economies, thus, placing the country in a low position in global trade with respect to its Asian neighbors.
Services sector deal with asean bloc stuck
23-Nov-2011
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will reach Bali on Thursday to hold meetings with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and attend the East Asia Summit over the weekend, but a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the 10-member regional bloc remains elusive.
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.
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.
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
ASEAN prepares framework of principles for Asia-Pacific wide FTA
17-Oct-2011 Mainichi
This move reflects a deep concern among some member countries that ASEAN could be sidelined by the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership that has attracted attention even as it is being negotiated, especially if Japan decides to come on board, ASEAN official sources said.
Germany supports FTA between EU and Vietnam
10-Oct-2011 SGGP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will push for the conclusion of a free-trade agreement between the EU and Vietnam, which is of great interest to German firms, during her visit to the Asian country this week.
FTA with Asean hurting domestic market, reveals Ficci survey
26-Sep-2011
The India-Asean Free Trade Agreement, which came into effect from January 2010, has been a mixed bag so far. While more opportunities have opened up for Indian industries, in terms of greater market access for their products in the Asean region, the duty reduction on imports from Asean countries, in turn, has hit India’s domestic market.
Pakistan to ink FTAs with ASEAN, GCC
20-Sep-2011
Pakistan expects to seal Free Trade Agreement (FTAs) with two promising regional groupings to boost the country’s trade performance, Secretary Commerce, Zafar Mahmood has said. “Pakistan is to sign the agreements with ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council,” he said in an interview here following the conclusion of Pakistan Malaysia Business Forum and the meeting of Joint Review Committee on FTA
Ongoing negotiations for EU-S’pore FTA progressing well
4-Sep-2011
Negotiation for an EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA) is progressing well.
Philippines refuse to open up its services market to Indian professionals
17-Aug-2011 Economic Times
The Philippines has refused to make any meaningful offer to open up its services market to Indian professionals, thus playing the spoilsport in the recent India-Asean services negotiations in Indonesia.
Sharma to push Asean on services deal this week
10-Aug-2011 Business Standard
Trade ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and India’s minister of commerce and industry, Anand Sharma, meet this week to push the much-awaited services trade deal, that got stuck over the issue of movement of professionals.
Taiwan intends to hold FTA talk with Indonesia
5-Aug-2011 CENS
After negotiating with Singapore on economic partnership, Taiwan now studies similar talks with Indonesia to sign free trade agreement (FTA) to be member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).