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geopolitics

Honduras ends FTA with Taiwan after president visits China
15-Jun-2023 Taiwan News
Honduras told Taiwan it is ending their bilateral free trade agreement, effective from the end of 2023.
New economic framework IPEF an empty US pledge: Financial Times
13-Jun-2023 Xinhua
Without substantial new access to the US market or other trade privileges on offer, there’s little incentive for partner countries to make big commitments themselves.
China’s Xi says willing to begin free trade talks with Honduras
13-Jun-2023 Yahoo
Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro is on a six-day official visit to China. She launched diplomatic relations with Beijing after cutting ties with Taiwan. The country is also seeking support from China to mitigate its debt burden.
German FM calls Brazil to align more with the West
7-Jun-2023 Euractiv
The still not yet ratified EU-Mercosur trade deal could be among the main keys to the rapprochement of like-minded democratic states as it would “make it clear that democracies when they work together, can solve global challenges,” said German Foreign Minister.
LEAK: EU to prioritise Mercosur deal, establish closer ties with Latin America
7-Jun-2023 Euractiv
The EU will prioritise concluding a long-delayed trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc and closer institutional cooperation as it seeks new allies to reduce economic dependencies on China and counter Russia.
Internal docs suggest Trudeau wants China blocked from Pacific Rim trade deal
7-Jun-2023 CTV
While the Liberals insist a Pacific Rim trade bloc should welcome any country that meets its standards, an internal document suggests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants China kept out of the deal.
US-Taiwan relations: New trade deal signed as China tensions rise
2-Jun-2023 BBC
It is the first agreement under a framework for talks between Washington and Taipei called the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade.
EU, US to weigh China, AI, trade strains at high-level Sweden talks
31-May-2023 Reuters
Top US and European Union officials meet to weigh how best to deal with China and cooperate on artificial intelligence and other future technology as well as EU complaints about Trump-era tariffs and US green subsidies.
14 IPEF nations forge stronger supply chains to reduce reliance on China
30-May-2023 Mint
In an evident attempt to decrease their dependency on China and prepare for potential future supply chain challenges, 14 nations involved in the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework have reached an agreement.
How colonialism shaped free trade agreements: from colonies to neoliberalism (part 3/3)
30-May-2023 bilaterals.org
Colonial practices are still felt today, as capital-exporting states and their investors shape trade and investment rules while ignoring the populations of capital-importing countries.
How colonialism shaped free trade agreements: the imposition of Western legal regimes (part 2/3)
25-May-2023 bilaterals.org
Colonialism resulted in the imposition of a legal trade and investment regime favourable to European colonial states and companies, which is still felt today.
China’s trade-pact bid ‘impossible’ for Australia to approve while Beijing’s sanctions remain, sources say
23-May-2023 South China Morning Post
Australia is not expected to support the accession of China and Taiwan to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership amid ’geopolitical baggage’.
How colonialism shaped free trade agreements: the birth of modern international trade (part 1/3)
22-May-2023 bilaterals.org
The birth of modern international trade was not a natural phenomenon but it was imposed on societies.
The rise of geopolitical swing states
16-May-2023 Goldman Sachs
As the US and China coexist, compete, and confront each other to determine who will set the geopolitical rules, they will either court or thwart an emerging group of countries to gain an edge. This new class of influential nations are the geopolitical swing states of the 21st century.
Russia embarks on a major BRICS offensive to upgrade BIT and complete EAEU FTA agreements
20-Apr-2023 Russia Briefing
Trade meetings with China, Brazil and India are paving the way for a rapid increase in Russia-BRICS trade and underpinning its strengths
Why Britain joining the CPTPP is clearly not about the economy
20-Mar-2023 South China Morning Post
‘Global Britain’ needs new friends and trading partners as the economic harm from Brexit becomes clear.
Free-trade deals lite
7-Mar-2023 The American Prospect
The White House is brokering trade deals with Europe that could loosen sourcing rules in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), President Biden’s plan for green domestic manufacturing.
EU recovers appetite for trade in green industry push
31-Jan-2023 Reuters
The European Union is aiming to enact up to five trade deals in record time to ensure its future as a clean tech leader, by securing supplies of key raw materials, increasing markets for green exports and reducing its reliance on China.
How Chinese companies are challenging national security decisions that could delay 5G network rollout
23-Jan-2023 The Conversation
A relatively new strategy for China is to challenge national security decisions before international tribunals using a method called investor-state dispute settlement.
US wants Bangladesh to join Indo-Pacific Strategy
12-Jan-2023 Dhaka Tribune
The US has been persuading Bangladesh to join in the Indo-Pacific Strategy, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the “Quad”, and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).