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Free or even fair?
As the 4th round of Thailand-US free-trade negotiations start today in Montana, a key issue will be the shape of any future intellectual-property regime. The survival of Thai jasmine rice, and the people who grow it, may very well depend on whatever system is finally agreed upon.
US-Thai FTA: Final trade deal not expected in Montana round
The fourth round of trade negotiations between Thailand and its single largest trading partner, the United States, is not expected to yield any significant outcome, although both parties hope the talks starting today will help the two better understand each other and bring them closer to solving respective concerns.
Early FTA talks with US good for RP
An American expert on international trade and business practice has underscored the benefits for the Philippines to begin negotiating for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
The big steal
Most observers realise the existence of a parallel economy in Pakistan and the integral role that it plays in the overall financial system. The underground piracy economy is estimated at billions of rupees, providing employment to thousands of people. So no one is complaining. No one except the corporations and Uncle Sam.
Of rice and men
For US and Thai trade negotiators meeting next week in Montana, intellectual property rights protections for plant breeders and pharmaceutical innovators are proving to be the most contentious issues in negotiating a Thailand-US Free Trade Agreement (TUSFTA).
Statement of National Corn Growers Association on US-Morocco FTA
The Morocco FTA cuts the tariff on US corn initially in half and then proceeds to zero by year six. This provides a significant advantage to US exporters and could potentially allow them to capture near 100 percent of the Moroccan market.
US-Thai FTA: Framework needed before discussions on finance sector
Financial sector liberalisation is a sensitive subject for the talks. US authorities have insisted that no FTA agreement can be negotiated without it. Thai authorities have been reluctant to make any commitments on opening up the banking, insurance, asset management or securities sectors.
Sacu-US trade talks to resume
The year-long deadlock in free-trade negotiations between the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) and the US appears to have been broken with talks set to resume in September.
Malaysia should improve IPR protection, says US
The protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) has been identified as being one of the main concerns for US investors to come into Malaysia, said the United States ambassador to Malaysia, Christopher J LaFleur.
Dabhol deal on track, Bechtel says it’s willing to settle
The Dabhol settlement process is almost complete with US-based Bechtel Corp finally informing the Indian side that it’s willing to settle and not proceed with international arbitration.
Exporting prices: Drug makers’ trade group makes the industry’s priorities US trade policy
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents 67 parent companies and subsidiaries that develop and make prescription and over-the-counter drugs, listed contacts with the government’s top officials overseeing international trade agreements on more lobbying reports than it did for contacts with the Food and Drug Administration, which directly oversees the industry’s products.
Bahrain parliament approves FTA with the US
The Bahraini parliament approved a free trade agreement with the United States. Some lawmakers wanted to use the agreement to press Washington to release six Bahrainis detained by the US at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. But most MPs decided that they have a better chance to resolve the issue by ratifying the accord.
India to go slow on trade pacts with US and EU
The Prime Minister’s Trade and Economic Relationship Committee has decided to go slow on bilateral trade agreements with Washington and Brussels. Even in the limited context of services, the government would rather remain unget-at-able to the two largest trading partners of the country in the medium term. Much less would New Delhi harbour the idea of entering into more comprehensive economic agreements covering trade in goods, investment and financial services with the twosome.
CAFTA reflects Democrats’ shift from trade bills
Twelve years ago, amid heated rhetoric over job losses and heavy union pressure, the House passed the North American Free Trade Agreement with 102 Democratic votes. This month, as President Bush pushes the far less economically significant Central American Free Trade Agreement, he will be lucky to get more than 10.
Walking tall
By tying a free-trade agreement to the outcome of Egypt’s ongoing political reform campaign, Washington is ramping up the pressure. Can the Nazif Government set up an infrastructure that will make strong business ties indispensable regardless of the political atmosphere?
US Senate approves Central America trade deal
The US Senate on Thursday endorsed a free trade agreement with six Latin American nations, handing a major win to President Bush.
11th hour deal paves way for trade pact passage
The Bush administration and key lawmakers struck an 11th hour deal with US sugar producers to shore up congressional support for a controversial trade agreement, senators said Wednesday. A full Senate vote could come as early as Thursday on the US-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
Thailand-US: AIDS drugs take centre-stage at trade talks
After tiptoeing around the issue for months, Thailand’s trade negotiators will have to finally reveal where they stand on the life-or-death question of producing cheap, generic anti-AIDS drugs.
Patenting rice: A matter of serious royal concern
The prospect of including in many FTAs, especially the Thai-US one, issues like intellectual property and agriculture, could have implications on the survival or disappearance of the Thai rice culture
TRIPS, bilateralism, multilateralism & implications for developing countries: Jordan’s drug sector
Looking at the experience of Jordan’s pharmaceutical sector, this paper shows that the expected benefits from bilateral agreements between developed and developing countries have been largely overestimated while the costs underestimated.