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bilateralism & multilateralism

TRIPS, bilateralism and patents: how they are failing both the developed and the developing world and what to do about it
11-Feb-2008 ANU
Luigi Palombi discusses TRIPS, post-TRIPS bilateralism and patents in the context of biological resources and traditional knowledge and seeks to provide a solution to the present intellectual property deadlock between the developed and developing worlds.
Panellists see high impact of bilateral trade deals on Geneva policymaking
30-Jan-2008 IP Watch
A panel of government and non-governmental experts on intellectual property and biodiversity issues last week stressed the high impact that leading economies’ bilateral free trade negotiations are having on multilateral policymaking in Geneva.
Bangladesh eyes FTA with China
24-Jan-2008 MySinchew
Bangladesh is eying a free trade agreement (FTA) with its biggest trading partner China. As the country has achieved a little from many multilateral and regional deals, the government plans to improve its two-way trade with major trading partners, sources said.
Trade: The $1b game of patience
14-Jan-2008 NZ Herald
State of play with New Zealand’s trade negotiations
Economic Partnership Agreements - no plan B?
21-Sep-2007 AllAfrica.com
The European Union Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, said the EU would not engage in an alternative strategy concerning African, Caribbean and Pacific trade relations with Europe at the World Trade Organisation, stressing that there is definitely "no Plan B" for EU trade relations with the ACP. New Era spoke to trade analyst, Wallie Roux, wherein he responds in his personal capacity to Mandelson’s assertions.
Bilateral deals abound as APEC leaders talk Doha
13-Sep-2007 Embassy Magazine
Vietnam, Singapore, Peru and South Korea are just some of the countries Canada is discussing various trade deals with, despite saying the WTO talks are its priority.
UNCTAD warns poor countries on free trade deals
6-Sep-2007 Afrique en ligne
Though preferential trade agreements (PTAs) may offer transitory gains in terms of market access and higher foreign direct investment, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has cautioned developing countries to be careful before entering into such deals.
US-Korean food fight
26-Aug-2007 FPIF
The US government is working to deny South Koreans the right to local food and to undermine their domestic food safety laws through the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
US/Korean trade nonsense has to stop
6-Aug-2007 Cattle Network
Korea should continue to reject the occasional box of beef — the containers of boneless meat that accidentally contain bones or spinal material — and let the rest go through. Their buying public can make the decision about the quality of the product. At the same time, American beef packers should continue to work on their quality control procedures and get it right before the KORUS FTA is finalized.
Multilateral still better than bilateral talks
1-Aug-2007 IPS
"When we try to negotiate as individual countries, we give the Europeans the ammunition to divide and discriminate against us", said Zimbabwe’s Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity Bright Matonga.
Trade deficit in food safety
29-Jul-2007 Public Citizen
Public Citizen has published a new report on the connection between trade agreements that limit US food safety policies to facilitate trade and the growing safety threat posed by US food imports
New rating poses threat to Kenya’s trade terms
24-Jul-2007 Business Daily Africa
Kenya’s terms of trade in the international market may change for the worse following its recent removal from the list of the world’s Least Developed Countries, it has emerged.
New Danish strategy targets free trade with emerging markets in Asia
20-Jul-2007 Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A new trade policy strategy from the Government of Denmark aims at supporting ambitious EU bilateral and regional free trade and investment agreements — especially with new growth markets in Asia.
Country-based policies are best
16-Jul-2007
Africa’s poorest countries should develop policies to suit their unique circumstances to replace policies imposed on them by their developed country counterparts, former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa has said.
What will India gain from the FTA with the EU?
15-Jul-2007 New Europe
The negotiations for an EU-India FTA could prove even more difficult to bring to a successful conclusion than the Doha development negotiations.
Japan keeps rice out of free trade proposals
6-Jul-2007
Japan’s trade supremo Akira Amari has ruled out opening up the country’s rice market in a free trade agreement with Australia, saying Japan’s aim is to secure a deal that covers "90 per cent" of trade between the two countries.
US FTA talks hanging in the balance
2-Jul-2007 The Star
Trading partners of the United States will have less confidence that the United States can honour trade deals it is negotiating after Congress leaders announced that they would not renew the President’s fast-track trade authority, and also rejected two FTAs.
Apec trade ministers to mull ways to harmonise RTAs & FTAs
30-Jun-2007
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) trade ministers will meet next week to mull ways to standardise rules in regional and free trade pacts so that countries face fewer complications when they are members of several accords.
US offers Canberra a Doha fallback over trade
28-Jun-2007
Australia could be invited to join the North American Free Trade Agreement as part of a strategy among Asia-Pacific nations to deal with the collapse of world trade talks.
The great spaghetti tangle
27-Jun-2007
The World Trade Organization (WTO) lays down parameters for the conduct of international trade among its 150 member countries. The basic objective, as stated more than implemented, is to provide a fair, transparent, non-discriminatory, rule-based multilateral trade environment.