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Korea to halve screen quota
26-Jan-2006
South Korea on Thursday decided to halve its 40-year-old screen quota, the mandatory period for theaters to show domestic films a year, to 73 days to clear the way for its free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
US, South Korea near free-trade talks
26-Jan-2006
The United States and South Korea are very close to launching negotiations for a free-trade agreement, which would be the most economically significant free-trade pact for Washington since the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to people familiar with the matter.
US-NZ FTA prospects dip
26-Jan-2006
New Zealand’s chances of securing free trade talks with the United States have taken a knock.
S Korea to cut screen quota to boost FTA talks with US
26-Jan-2006
South Korea said it would reduce by half its screen quota for domestically produced films, in a move aimed at facilitating talks with the United States on a free trade agreement (FTA).
US pressures Peru on free trade deal
26-Jan-2006 Xinhua
The United States said on Wednesday it would not renew a favorable tariff pact with Peru unless the country ratifies a free trade pact agreed on between the two sides in December.
Ecuador-Colomb-US resume FTA talks
25-Jan-2006 Prensa Latina
Ecuador, along with Colombia, is reopening Wednesday in Washington joint negotiation over the copyright issue in the Free Trade Agreement with the US, despite growing refusal in Quito.
New Thai-US FTA chief negotiator to be appointed within January
25-Jan-2006
A new head of the Thai negotiating team for the proposed Thai-United States Free Trade Area (FTA) agreement is expected to be appointed within this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said Wednesday.
US trade talks exclusion ’no slap in face’
24-Jan-2006
New Zealand’s exclusion from a small list of countries the United States hopes to initiate free trade talks with this year is no surprise, the Government says.
Food-safety dispute stalls trade agreement
24-Jan-2006
The U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement that was supposed to take effect Jan. 1 is being held up by the U.S. because some of the countries involved have yet to recognize U.S. meat-inspection procedures as valid.
Government to go ahead with Thai-US FTA talks
24-Jan-2006
The government will go ahead with its negotiations with the United States on the proposed Thai-US Free Trade Area (FTA) Agreement, Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon reaffirmed here on Tuesday.
United States planning more free-trade negotiations in 2006
24-Jan-2006 Washington File
The Bush administration hopes to initiate more free-trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in 2006, possibly with South Korea and Malaysia, US Trade Representative Rob Portman says.
Time to put a US-South Korea free trade agreement on the fast-track agenda
23-Jan-2006 Heritage Foundation
A memo from the ultra-conservative Heritage Foundation.
USTR cites needs for agricultural tariff cuts in Korea
23-Jan-2006 Yonhap
US Trade Representative Rob Portman said South Korean farmers’ protests are not expected to affect efforts to start negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA).
Powerful NGO wants open talks
23-Jan-2006 The Nation
Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission yesterday asked the government to suspend talks on a free-trade agreement with the United States and to disclose what is being negotiated.
Value pact over quota
22-Jan-2006
Work on talks for a free trade pact between Korea and the United States has been accelerating since President Roh Moo-hyun’s New Year’s address. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade recently announced it would hold a public hearing early next month to gather opinions on such a pact. Accordingly, the government is likely to soon declare the start of negotiations with Washington.
‘Thaksinisation’ strains Thai-US relations
22-Jan-2006 The Nation
When Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra went to Washington DC last September to meet President George W Bush, they agreed that the Thai-US free-trade agreement (FTA) would be completed by this June. At a subsequent meeting with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, he also asked for US assistance in southern Thailand. Obviously there was a clear link between the trade and defence policies of the two countries.
Free trade and movies
22-Jan-2006
The government is hurrying to conclude a free trade agreement with the United States before June 2007 at the latest. It appears natural for Korea to facilitate the FTA process with America, the world’s largest economy and Seoul’s greatest ally. The biggest stumbling block is the screen quota, a protective device for the domestic film industry, or so says Washington.
Investment treaty: Pakistan, US fail to make progress
21-Jan-2006 Dawn
Pakistan and United States on Friday concluded the fourth round of talks on the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), which remained inconclusive due to differences on some clauses of the agreement.
Oman pact boosts US agenda in the Middle East
21-Jan-2006 IPS
The Bush administration is pushing a spate of free trade agreements with its allies in the Middle East that mostly lack input from marginalised local communities or civil society groups.
Korea-US trade talks could start soon
21-Jan-2006 donga.com
Trade Minister Kim Hyun-jong said in a news conference Friday, “It remains to be seen whether the upcoming international economic ministers’ meeting scheduled for February 2 will decide to begin Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations.” Current Korean FTA regulations stipulate that an international economic ministers’ meeting shall make decisions on whether to start FTA negotiations after taking public opinion into consideration at a public hearing.