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RCEP going to parliament, instant enforcement likely
8-Feb-2021 Bangkok Post
The Commerce Ministry is scheduled to propose to parliament on Tuesday the ratification of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact, the world’s biggest free trade deal, signed by 15 nations in Asia-Pacific including Thailand last November.
Will China help or hurt the AfCFTA?
7-Feb-2021 The Africa Report
African countries want to trade more with their partners on the continent – through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement that launched operations on 1 January – but will that hurt big trading partners like China?
Taiwan president seeks to negotiate trade deal with UK
5-Feb-2021 Taiwan News
“I very much look forward to Taiwan and the UK being able to commence dialogue on a free trade or bilateral investment agreement," President Tsai said.
The Swiss Farmers’ Union: Sustainability reduced to absurdity
4-Feb-2021 Uniterre
The FTA with Indonesia showcases a supposed sustainability, but it is only a large-scale scam.
How Google could sue Australia for billions
4-Feb-2021 Australian Financial Review
Google and Facebook could sue the government for billions of dollars over a proposed law to force the digital giants to pay publishers for displaying news content, by seizing on investment clauses in the Australia-Singapore trade agreement.
China is readily considering joining CPTPP: commerce ministry
4-Feb-2021 Xinhua
The country is actively conducting research on joining the CPTPP, the Ministry of Commerce said.
France puts EU withdrawal from Energy Charter Treaty on the table
4-Feb-2021 Euractiv
The European Union and its member states should draw the consequences of the current stalemate in multilateral talks aimed at reforming the Energy Charter Treaty and consider a coordinated withdrawal, Paris has said
German energy giant RWE uses the Energy Charter Treaty to attack Dutch climate action
4-Feb-2021 CAN Europe
RWE has filed an arbitration claim against the Netherlands, seeking compensation for the Dutch decision to phase-out electricity production from coal by 2030.
The limits of the EU-China investment agreement
4-Feb-2021 Project Syndicate
The new EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment will eventually be judged by its implementation and the concrete steps China takes to fulfill its promises. If European firms do not perceive any improvement, and China makes no progress on labor standards, the pact might come to represent an empty gesture.
South Korea FTA talks conclude
4-Feb-2021 Phnom Penh Post
Cambodia and South Korea on February 3 concluded talks for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), which Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak and his Korean counterpart Yoo Myung-hee plan to sign in mid-2021, setting zero tariffs for a broad range of goods, according to a joint press statement.
Putting the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) into perspective: Five key points
3-Feb-2021 Institute for International Trade
The CAI will not transform China into an open investment regime nor will it provide new market access opportunities for most European businesses.
Australia eyes new trade deal with Israel, focusing on cyber security, innovation
3-Feb-2021 Sydney Morning Herald
Australia will turn its attention towards clinching a trade agreement with Israel. A similar feasibility study to scope the benefits of beginning trade negotiations with European Free Trade Association countries.
Banks agree to end action against Croatia in loan conversion dispute
3-Feb-2021 Reuters
Six banks have agreed not to take legal action against Croatia over its conversion of Swiss franc loans into euros in 2015 at the lenders’ expense.
EU-UK deal impacts UK’s sovereignty over Northern Ireland and island of Britain
3-Feb-2021 Oped Column Syndication
John Bruton, the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland (1994-97) and the former European Union’s Ambassador to the United States (2004-09), writes about how the recently signed EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) impacts the sovereignty of the UK over the island of Britain and Northern Ireland, and also opines that such a deal was perhaps better than a "no-deal" scenario.
US Chamber drives for Kenya-US trade deal
2-Feb-2021 Business Daily
The United States Chamber of Commerce has urged President Joe Biden to seal a new trade deal with Kenya, which was initiated by his predecessor Donald Trump.
Working document on the draft EU-Mercosur Association Agreement
2-Feb-2021 Fern
The following avenues can be envisaged to address the concerns raised by the draft EU-Mercosur agreement.
Beijing expands Indian Ocean FTAs westward with Mauritius
2-Feb-2021 Nikkei Asia
China’s free trade agreement with the small island-nation of Mauritius came into effect in January, increasing the Asian powerhouse’s presence in the Indian Ocean where its regional rival India has long dominated.
How the trade deal Boris Johnson is pursuing threatens workers’ rights
2-Feb-2021 Left Foot Forward
The danger is that the UK Prime Minister is eager to get a deal, so he could accept whatever terms the CPTPP countries demand.
Unsustainable RCEP
1-Feb-2021 The Statesman
If the latest flare ups over the contentious territorial issues and popular anti-China sentiments in the region are anything to go by, it seems likely that uncertainty over domestic ratification of the RCEP agreement by the signatory states would persist in the days ahead.
EU-Canada FTA (CETA): investment court texts (Jan 2021)
1-Feb-2021 European Commission