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Australia

Calls for Australia to axe free trade deal with Hong Kong amid China crackdown
15-Jul-2020 ABC News
The Federal Government is facing calls to axe its free trade deal with Hong Kong after suspending Australia’s extradition agreement with the city.
Australia keen on penning RCEP trade pact this year despite disputes with China
13-Jul-2020 South China Morning Post
Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to signing the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement despite rising political tensions with China.
Barrick Gold sends dispute notice to Papua New Guinea over Porgera mine
10-Jul-2020 Reuters
Canadian miner Barrick Gold Corp said it served a dispute notice to the Papua New Guinea government over the country’s refusal to extend a mining lease in the Porgera valley.
’New economic chapter’ as Indonesia free-trade agreement begins
6-Jul-2020 Farm Online
Australia’s new free-trade agreement with Indonesia, the world’s fourth largest country, officially began on Sunday.
Prairie Mining secures litigation funding to sue Poland
2-Jul-2020 ShareCast
The claims had arisen out of certain measures taken by Poland, allegedly in breach of the Energy Charter Treaty and the Australia-Poland Bilateral Investment Treaty.
China delivers further tariff slap to Aussie grains sector
30-Jun-2020 Queensland Country Life
The China - Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has not been enough to protect Australia’s grains industry from China raising import tariffs on barley and sorghum.
Solomons ratifies Pacer Plus amid calls for re-think
23-Jun-2020 RNZ
Solomon Islands is the sixth country to ratify Pacer Plus. The agreement comes into force 60 days after at least eight of the 11 signatories have ratified.
UK begins talks with Australia and New Zealand on free trade deal for post-Brexit era
17-Jun-2020 The Guardian
Australian and New Zealand ministers say they are eager to do deals with the UK as their economies emerge from the coronavirus crisis.
India to step up free trade agreement talks despite self-reliance mantra
15-Jun-2020 Financial Express
India hasn’t shunned efforts to forge “balanced” trade agreements despite renewed push for self-reliance, and talks with key partners, including the US, the EU and Australia, will gain momentum once the impact of the pandemic wanes considerably.
Survival clause under Aus-Indo bit will not survive the implementation of IA-CEPA
10-Jun-2020 Lexology
On 5 February 2020, Australia and Indonesia signed an exchange of letters agreeing to the termination of the Aus-Indo BIT and its sunset clause.
Trade officials to discuss Australia-UK free trade deal within weeks
2-Jun-2020 Sky
Australia is beginning to hold formal talks with the UK over its first post-Brexit free trade agreement.
Indonesian FTA kicks in on July 5
11-May-2020 Farm Online National
Australia’s free trade agreement with Indonesia as its biggest neighbour will finally kick into gear on July 5.
Corporations prepare to sue over action to save lives as pandemic reveals trade flaws
23-Apr-2020 The Conversation
Global companies are positioning themselves to use little-known rules in trade agreements to claim millions of dollars in compensation for restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
COVID-19 risks stalling the Indonesia-Australia Economic Partnership
27-Mar-2020 https://thediplomat.com/2020/03/covid-19-risks-stalling-the-indonesia-australia-economic-partnership/
It’s been a year since the signing of the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA); the global pandemic could delay the next critical steps.
Singapore, Australia agree to promote data connectivity, digital economy
24-Mar-2020 Regulation Asia
Singapore and Australia have committed to allowing financial institutions to choose where their data is stored and prohibiting data localisation, among a raft of other agreements.
India exploring nuts and bolts of possible FTA with Australia
12-Mar-2020 BusinessLine
Trade Ministers of both countries are working on what they can offer each other.
US urges Australia to expand Pacific push to South-East Asia to counter China’s expansion
12-Mar-2020 ABC
The Trump Administration has called on the Morrison Government to extend its "step-up" strategy in the Pacific to South-East Asia, as Washington grapples with China’s rising regional influence.
Regional MPs call for greater transparency of RCEP negotiations
10-Mar-2020 APHR
As ministers of the member countries of the RCEP meet for final negotiations over the trade agreement this week, regional lawmakers today expressed concern about the lack of parliamentary and public oversight of the deal, as well as its potential human rights impacts.
Pacific shouldering burden in unbalanced PACER-Plus Trade Deal
27-Feb-2020 PANG
The Pacific Island Countries (PICs) are taking on disproportionate binding commitments in exchange for false promises of benefits from the regional free trade deal known as PACER-Plus.
PACER-Plus development assistance analysis: No new money but still with strings attached
26-Feb-2020 PANG
What the development assistance arrangement results in, is aid money, tightly controlled by Australia and New Zealand to flow to areas that will make Forum Island Countries uphold their commitments on market access, ultimately benefiting the two metropolitan Parties.