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Asia

Squeezed: The real cost of free trade in the Asia-Pacific
10-Sep-2007 Squeezed
Filmed in Thailand and The Philippines in July 2007, Squeezed tells the story of how free trade agreements and globalisation are changing the lives of millions of people living in the Asia-Pacific region.
APRN strategy workshop on FTAs
13-Jul-2007
The Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) and AID/WATCH are pleased to invite you to a strategy workshop on the FTAs entitled: “To Oppose FTAs: Making People Matter”, that will take place on September 4-6, 2007 in Sydney, Australia. The Strategy Workshop on the FTAs is an open and public gathering of trade campaigners within the region specifically timed to coincide with the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Sydney.
Fear not farmers in Australia, Asia told
13-Jun-2007
Trade Minister Warren Truss has accused China and its neighbours of "unrealistic" fears that 140,000 farmers in Australia could wipe out a billion farmers in Asia if there were free trade in agriculture.
Asian FTAs provide few benefits
26-May-2007 Bangkok Post
While most Asian countries are negotiating free trade agreements, very few of those deals have resulted in any real benefits, a World Bank study shows.
Important challenges face Asian FTAs
17-May-2007 Ohmynews
Asian economic regionalism, driven by active FTAs, reached a decisive point recently as China, South Korea, Japan and ASEAN countries compromised on the plan for financial reserves to put the possible financial crisis under control.
Trade policy in Asia: where next with a crippled WTO and weak FTAs?
10-May-2007 ECIPE
Trade policy in Asia is dangerously unbalanced. It rests on a shaky leg of discriminatory bilateral and regional FTAs. Its other WTO leg has gone to sleep: most Asian countries have neglected the WTO in favour of FTAs. Its regional-cooperation arm is limp: grand visions for regional economic integration are mostly empty conference chatter.
Global trade talks stall as free trade agreements grow in Asia
3-May-2007 VOA
As the latest World Trade Organization round of talks loses momentum, bilateral and regional free trade agreements are mushrooming in Asia.
East Asian countries urged to form region-wide free-trade zone
15-Jan-2007 Playfuls
East Asian countries must promptly form a region-wide free-trade zone to maintain its competitiveness as well as ensure stability and prosperity, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Monday.
US bilateral free trade agreements in Asia
8-Dec-2006 IRDF
In an effort to create more informed actions among groups working on food sovereignty and fairer trade rules in the region, the Asia Pacific Network for Food Sovereignty launched a research on US FTAs that looked at the common features of existing US FTAs and those that are being negotiated in the region like the US-Thailand FTA and analyzed their implications on developing countries’ agriculture particularly on small-scale farmers’ livelihoods; food security; farmers’ access to and control of their land, seed and productive resources; and rural development.
Overview of bilateral free trade and investment agreements
13-Oct-2006
A general overview of free trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties that have been signed or are being negotiated all over the world. Organised by region, it provides a snapshot of the many processes currently under way, some of the controversies they raise and opposition movements against these agreements.
Sceptics fear political ties that bind free trade
10-Oct-2006 Financial Express
Perhaps the best explanation of why bilateral trade agreements are so popular comes from Pascal Lamy, who was the predecessor to Peter Mandelson as Europe’s trade commissioner. Mr Lamy, now director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is fond of saying: "Politicians tell you that when they sign a bilateral agreement with a pal, they get on TV. When they are the 149th minister around the table at the WTO, they don’t get on TV."
EU to seek bilateral trade deals in Asia as part of policy revamp
4-Oct-2006
The European Commission said it will seek bilateral trade deals, particularly with Asian partners, as part of a policy revamp.
ADB official calls for Asia-wide free trade area
3-Oct-2006
Major obstacles block Asia’s prospects of becoming a common market, but a region-wide free-trade area is a realistic goal, an Asian Development Bank official said.
A bridge between Asia and South America
25-Aug-2006
In the last few months, Chile has made it clear that it intends to become a trade platform between the vast Asia Pacific region and the Andean countries, by means of trade treaties and political integration. Prompt re-entry into the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) would be a step in that direction.
The rush to bilateral pacts: Throttling trade while trying to promote it
23-Aug-2006
A plethora of Asian beggar-thy-neighbor agreements threatens to throttle global trade in the name of trying to save it.
WTO collapse set to fuel Asia’s "noodle bowl" effect
31-Jul-2006
The breakdown of the WTO talks has dealt a blow to the trade prospects of Asia’s open economies and is likely to encourage a growing "noodle bowl" of bilateral pacts, analysts said.
Free trade agreements: complicated but unavoidable
9-May-2006
The 16th Inter-Pacific Bar Association Conference, held in Sydney last week, provided a forum to illustrate the enormous impact FTAs have on the economic and social aspects of their respective countries and the legal issues underlying them.
ADB set to promote trade liberalization
27-Apr-2006
Asian Development Bank President Haruhiko Kuroda said the bank would help promote regional trade liberalization as part of the institution’s mid- and long-term strategies.
ADB attacks bilateral trade deals
7-Apr-2006 Financial Times
“A lot of these bilateral deals have nothing to do with economics. Instead, they [Asian Development Bank’s members] are mostly doing it for diplomatic reasons, including efforts to gain access to natural resources.”
EU eyeing free trade deals in Asia: Mandelson
22-Mar-2006 Financial Express
The European Union is exploring the prospect of free trade deals with Asian nations once the current round of world trade talks is over, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said on Tuesday.