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Japan cool to China bid for a free trade accord
20-May-2005 IHT
Wu Yi, Chinese deputy prime minister, is urging Japan to start negotiations soon with China on a bilateral free trade agreement, but a Japanese official said Thursday that many barriers to fair trade in China made such a deal unappealing.
The changing landscape of regional trade agreements
19-May-2005 WTO
This new WTO discussion paper looks at main trends and characteristics of regional trade agreements, in force and under negotiation. It also examines their effects on third parties and on the multilateral trading system.
Malaysia, Japan fail to break FTA deadlock over autos, steel - official
19-May-2005 Forbes
Malaysian and Japanese officials have yet to resolve differences over the auto and steel sectors which are seen as major obstacles to progress towards a free trade agreement (FTA), Agence France-Presse reported, citing an official familiar with the talks.
China urges Japan on FTA talks
19-May-2005 Forbes
Visiting Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi on Wednesday urged Japan to start negotiations soon with China on a bilateral free trade agreement, the Kyodo news agency reported.
Washington drags its feet over US-Egypt free-trade agreement
19-May-2005
Egypt and the United States want to negotiate a free trade agreement but have not agreed on a date to begin talks, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif said after talks with U.S. officials in Washington.
Korea-Singapore FTA: Bridge to SE Asian markets, cornerstone for services liberalization
19-May-2005 KoPA
The KSFTA was promoted by Korea under two main strategies. One is to use Singapore as a bridge to gain more market access in Southeast Asia and strive further towards regional integration, and the other is to use external ‘stimulus’ from Singapore to “strengthen competitiveness” (restructuring and liberalization) of the services industry.....
Bad and getting worse
18-May-2005
As North American citizens, we have an obligation to stand with the people of Central America in their struggle for just and sustainable development. CAFTA’s backers are pushing for a vote in Congress this month. We must send a strong message to our elected officials that CAFTA, and the faulty economic model it represents, is unacceptable.
China, Iceland agree to start FTA feasibility research
18-May-2005 People’s Daily
China and Iceland on Tuesday agreed to start feasibility research on forging a free trade area.
Egypt’s Nazif optimistic on free trade pact with US
18-May-2005 Khaleej Times
Egypt and the United States want to negotiate a free trade agreement but haven’t decided when to begin, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif said on Tuesday after talks with US officials.
Racism, rights ’could hurt China FTA’
18-May-2005 Sydney Morning Herald
Racism and left wing politicians focusing on human rights could threaten a proposed free trade deal between Australia and China, a new report says.
US and Malaysia hold more talks on bilateral issues
17-May-2005 The Star
US and Malaysian trade officials recently held a second round of talks to discuss outstanding bilateral issues under the US-Malaysia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (Tifa), signed last May.
New wind in Bimstec: Negative list exchange for FTA in June
16-May-2005 Daily Star
Officials of the member countries of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) will meet in Colombo in the first week of June to exchange the negative lists of sensitive goods in the run up for a free trade pact among them.
Land grab to go to arbitration
16-May-2005 The Zimbabwean
About 1 500 commercial farmers who have had their land forcibly and sometimes violently seized by Robert Mugabe’s government have taken their case to international arbitration.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan to implement free trade agreement from June
14-May-2005 AP
A Sri Lanka-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement will come into effect next month, Sri Lanka’s trade minister said Friday, in a deal expected to double the amount of trade between the two.
Foreign Trade Council: accompanying measures are crucial for Morocco-US FTA success
14-May-2005 Arabic News
Although the Morocco-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) offers considerable opportunities to Moroccan textile exporters and an outlet to some agricultural produces, accompanying measures are crucial to benefit the most of the accord, believes Mohamed Benayad, head of the National Council for Foreign Trade.
Japan, Indonesia set to launch free-trade talks; Japan, Malaysia to hold next round
13-May-2005 AP
Japan and Indonesia are expected to agree to formally open free trade talks during an upcoming visit to Tokyo by the Indonesian president, a Japanese official said Thursday.
Argentina to seek annulment of ICSID ruling in favour of CMS Energy
13-May-2005 Forbes
The Argentine government said it will try to annul a ruling by the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in favour of US company CMS Energy Corp.
Experts question whether Arabs, S. Americans can deliver alternative to US domination
13-May-2005 Khaleej Times
South American and Arab leaders showed the US this week that they can be a force to be reckoned with - at least when it comes to talking tough. But whether they will be able to fulfill their pledges hinges on their ability to look beyond domestic agendas and resist American efforts to lure them away with lucrative bilateral trade deals.
Removing IPR - too much at stake for Thailand
13-May-2005
The recently concluded round of US-Thai FTA negotiations brought little contentment for the Thais, especially those with direct interests in maintaining the existing degree of intellectual property right (IPR) protection already in place.
FTA preferable to common market, minister insists
12-May-2005
The government will negotiate with Beijing to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) under the auspices of the WTO, rather than creating a cross-strait "common market," Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh said yesterday.