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Philippines

The Philippines signed its first bilateral FTA with Japan in 2006 and is presently party to the ASEAN FTA processes (China, India, Korea, Japan and Australia/New Zealand). The Philippine government has been trying to get Washington to offer an FTA, while those of New Zealand and Chile are apparently in favour of a bilateral deal with Manila. The Philippine government wants to join the TPP, and is engaged in efforts to lay the groundwork for negotiations with the EU for a possible FTA.

last update: May 2012
Photo: Michel Cermak/Twitter


Bilateral free trade costlier than WTO
The option of forging separate bilateral free-trade agreements (FTAs) with various countries could put the Philippines at a tighter disadvantage than it presently is under the World Trade Organization (WTO), government negotiators and economic experts admitted.