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ASEAN


Thai logistics must improve for ASEAN-China FTA
Thailand must address its logistics problems if it wants to receive full benefit from the ASEAN-China free trade area agreement, to be effective on 2010, according to new research.
Gloria pushes free trade between Asean, Europe
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has expressed confidence that the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement between the economic power bloc of the European Union and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations can be concluded in November.
Philippines Pushing For EU-ASEAN Free Trade
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed confidence that the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement between the economic power bloc of the European Union and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations can be concluded during the Asean Summit in November.
Malaysia Places 412 Tariff Lines Under Asean-Korea FTA
Malaysia has placed 412 tariff lines under the sensitive track in the tariff liberalisation programme of the Asean-Korea Free Trade (AKFTA), which took effect from this month.
FTA to spur RoK investment into VN
Republic of Korea (RoK)’s firms are set to invest further into Viet Nam’s booming economy after a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two nations comes into effect on June 1, according to a report issued by the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).
Take your partners for economic integration
Japan should continue its push for economic integration in East Asia while at the same time solidifying its relations with the United States, with an eye toward a bilateral free-trade agreement with the U.S., said participants in a recent symposium in Tokyo.
India`s ASEAN offer alive to concerns of plantation sector`
India’s latest offer on duty cuts under the proposed FTA with ASEAN addresses long-term concerns of tea, coffee and pepper producers who are embarking on a major replantation drive, government has said.
Interview: Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew hails China-ASEAN ties
Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew said Thursday that the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) reached in 2002 offers ASEAN countries an opportunity to ride on China’s fast economic growth.
Merchandise FTA with five ASEAN countries to take effect next month
A merchandise free trade agreement between South Korea and five member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will take effect on June 1, officials said Wednesday.
Bilateral trade between Malaysia and South Korea to rise further
Bilateral trade between Malaysia and South Korea is expected to increase further with the completion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Asean and South Korea this year.
Arroyo: Stalled Doha talks drive East Asia integration
The stalled Doha round of talks of the World Trade Organization is what is driving the process of integration in East Asia, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said Thursday.
Asian bloc hopes new deal with Canada could lead to free trade pact
Vietnam’s assistant foreign affairs minister says Canada and members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are "optimistic" about a free trade agreement, but doesn’t want to speculate as to when such a deal would come to fruition.
Asean, EU may take years to ink FTA
A deal may come only nearer to 2015, the year Asean is targeting for the creation of a single market for its 10 members, Asean secretary general Ong Keng Yong said.
Agreement on ’Trade in Goods’ in the proposed ASEAN-Japan economic pact to be finalized November
On the contentious issue of transboundary movement of toxic waste, which inclusion in the JPEPA had caused an uproar locally, Philippine Trade Secretary Peter B Favila said it is likely that the same provision would be carried in the Japan-ASEAN trade deal.
Burmese junta prepares for FTA talks with EU
Asean and the European Union have agreed to allow Burma to participate in free trade agreement talks with the EU, amid signs the military junta is preparing to highlight what it claims are recent democratic advancements.
Officials urged to be critical over FTA
Fearing that the gains promised by an ASEAN-EU free trade agreement (FTA) will turn out to be little more than illusions, a discussion has urged the members of ASEAN to stick together and remain "critical" during the upcoming negotiations.
US and China tug at ASEAN unity
ASEAN is being fragmented by intensifying US-China competition for regional influence, which is putting a premium on bilateralism with the big powers at the expense of ASEAN’s ambition toward more regional multilateralism.
Bush to hold first summit with ASEAN countries
US President George W Bush confirmed Friday that he will attend his first summit with all 10 Southeast Asian leaders, to talk about trade and security, in September. "I suggested to the president that we should consider a suitable new initiative, which perhaps would be able to take our relations another step forward," said Singapore’s PM Lee Hsien Loong.
EU-ASEAN Free Trade Agreements: A seminar reader
The EU proposes free trade agreements with ASEAN, India and Korea, part of a new generation of agreements with ambitious services and investment targets. Marc Maes and Roelien Knotterus set out the context in relation to other FTAs, while Charles Santiago puts these new EU-Asia relations in a historical perspective.