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Labor leader explains anti-FTA stance
14-Sep-2006 Donga
Interview with the president of AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, on the US-Korea FTA.
Joint declaration of first IBSA Summit
14-Sep-2006 PIB
The Prime Minister of India, H.E. Manmohan Singh, the President of Brazil, H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the President of South Africa, H.E. Thabo Mbeki, expressed their full support and commitment to the expeditious establishment of the Working Group to focus on the modalities for the envisaged India-Mercosur-SACU Trilateral Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA).
KMU sees more retrenchment with new RP-Japan trade pact
14-Sep-2006 INQ7
The militant Filipino labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said it fears more retrenchments and lower wages with the impending liberalization of the country’s automotive and steel sectors under the recently signed Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Fiction and fact: an IBSA pact
13-Sep-2006
IBSA will be a powerful bloc in south-south cooperation with echoes of ‘non-alignment’ in earlier times but from the economic point of view, IBSA is a little fictitious” was Union minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh’s reported take on this regional formation that includes India-Brazil-South Africa just ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Brazil and Cuba to attend an IBSA and NAM summit.
U.S. presses Korea to improve ag offer in trade talks
13-Sep-2006
South Korea needs to make a much better offer to open up its agricultural sector to U.S. imports in talks aimed at reaching a free trade agreement by the end of the year, a U.S. trade official said on Monday.
Political leadership needed to iron out differences in FTA
13-Sep-2006
The third round of Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) talks in Seattle ended Sunday without producing any practical progress on core issues. While the negotiation result is disappointing, it is not totally unexpected, given the inhospitable conditions of the negotiations.
More FTAs and shift from traditional markets to help Singapore tap Middle East money
13-Sep-2006
Singapore asset managers have not been more actively seeking opportunities in the Middle-East because the market is still relatively new.
Organizations release monitoring report assessing impact of CAFTA ’free’ trade agreement
13-Sep-2006
Members of Congress, solidarity organizations, leaders of the DC-area Salvadoran community, and student and faith-based groups held a press conference to announce the release of a report monitoring the effects of the US-Dominican Republic Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).
Rann wants China FTA on COAG agenda
13-Sep-2006
The South Australian Government is pushing for debate on the proposed China free trade agreement at the next premiers’ meeting, worried the deal could hurt Australia’s manufacturing sector.
Private sector urged to speak up
13-Sep-2006
A national call has gone out to the Barbados private sector, asking it to speak out as free trade negotiations between the region and the European Union (EU) near the final phase.
Philippine FTA to reshape health care
13-Sep-2006
The free-trade agreement clinched with the Philippines on Saturday will test whether Japan is serious about opening its labor market, a change that would trade homogeneity for a more youthful workforce.
Japan-Philippines FTA (JPEPA) (2006)
13-Sep-2006
Asean wants 600 items in free trade negative list
13-Sep-2006 Economic Times
Asean has come up with a composite negative list of 600 products for the proposed Indo-Asean free trade agreement.
Farmers losing out in free trade mart
13-Sep-2006 New Straits Times
Foreign food products are making their way into the country under the Free Trade Agreements and market liberalisation, while Malaysian products are struggling to penetrate foreign markets.
EU officials to discuss Asian trade deal with Philippines
13-Sep-2006 Easy Bourse
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European trade chief Peter Mandelson will discuss plans Tuesday with Philippine officials for an ambitious trade agreement between the European Union and a group of Southeast Asian countries, EU officials said.
Mauritius to sign trade deals with India, Pak
13-Sep-2006 Gulf Times
Mauritius expects to sign trade deals with India and Pakistan in October and November, according to minutes of a cabinet meeting seen yesterday.
Hanoi sets Japan talks
13-Sep-2006 IHT
The prime ministers of Japan and Vietnam agreed Monday to launch talks on a free trade agreement between the two countries, Japanese officials said.
Uruguay at center of lively US-Venezuela chess game
13-Sep-2006 New York Times
Long taken for granted by its much larger neighbors, Uruguay suddenly finds itself one of the main fronts in the struggle between the United States and Venezuela for dominance in South America. Washington is offering a free-trade agreement that would pull Uruguay into the United States’ orbit and weaken Mercosur, the regional trade group to which Uruguay and Venezuela belong. Mr. Chávez has countered with attention-getting investments, subsidized oil, acts of charity and a growing alliance with left-wing factions of the ruling Broad Front.
Monitoring report: DR-CAFTA in Year One
13-Sep-2006 Stop CAFTA Coalition
Over the past four months members of the CAFTA Monitoring Working Group have coordinated the drafting of this report with friends and allies in Central America. While it is far too early to detail long-term trends in labor, textiles, agricultural practice and policy, investment patterns, services, and environmental consequences of CAFTA, in this report we have looked primarily at the process of implementing CAFTA since January 1, 2006 and some early trends and concerns that have emerged, many of which we will continue to monitor.
Malaysia urged to diversify trade pacts beyond Asean
13-Sep-2006 Business Times
Malaysia should diversify its trade agreements beyond its traditional trading bloc in the Asean region and focus on expanding liberalisation of trade policies to enhance its competitiveness in global trade.