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India engaging with ASEAN to review free trade agreement: Piyush Goyal
18-Sep-2020 Deccan Herald
India is engaging with the 10-member ASEAN to review the free trade agreement, Parliament was informed on Friday.
India seeks market concession for rice, access for grapes, pomegranates from South Korea
18-Sep-2020 Economic Times
India will seek concessions for its rice exports to South Korea as Seoul levies a whopping 513% tariff on imported rice and buys rice from only five countries under its tariff rate quota regime.
BOI eyes five new trade agreements with key trading partners
18-Sep-2020 Daily Mirror
Sri Lanka’s apex investment promotion body, Board of Investment (BOI), is eyeing five new trade agreements with key trading partners—Japan, China, European Union (EU), United States and United Kingdom (UK)— over the next three years.
Will the UK really join the CPTPP free-trade bloc in Asia-Pacific?
18-Sep-2020 The Conversation
Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore are willing to give Britain a seat at the table but the interests of the remaining seven states are unclear.
Beyond the Bolsonaro policy, it is the very content of the EU-Mercosur agreement that promises an environmental disaster
18-Sep-2020 Veblen
The commission of experts has spoken: an annual increase in deforestation of 25% for 6 years, facilitated entry into the European market of foodstuffs produced with pesticides banned in the EU, risk of weakening European environmental and health standards.
ICSID grants Pakistan six months stay order in Reko Diq case
18-Sep-2020 The News
The World Bank’s ICSID has granted Pakistan a stay order of six months in the Reko Diq case in which Islamabad was awarded with a whopping $6 billion fine.
Eight EU countries urge “real action” from Brazil to combat deforestation
18-Sep-2020 MercoPress
European politicians and investors have mounted pressure on Brazil to step up environmental protection as deforestation rises and the two sides attempt to finalize a free trade deal agreed to in principle last year.
China, EU to hold 32nd round of investment treaty negotiations
18-Sep-2020 Xinhua
The 32nd round of China-European Union bilateral investment treaty negotiations will kick off next week.
Department of Trade Negotiations pushes ahead utilisation of RCEP privileges
18-Sep-2020 Bangkok Post
As the 15 RCEP members are preparing to sign an agreement this November in Vietnam, the Department of Trade Negotiations is explaining how to make the most of RCEP and deal advantageously with its impacts in terms of competition among farmers, entrepreneurs, and civil society.
A new trend in trade agreements: Ensuring access to cancer drugs
17-Sep-2020 South Centre
People around the world need to be aware of precedents in recent trade agreements and ensure that they also work for access to medicines for their own citizens.
Japan backs ISDS in fierce debate at Energy Charter Treaty review
17-Sep-2020 AFTINET
A written submission from Japan published by the ECT secretariat rejected language on the “right to regulate” and changes to the investor-state dispute resolution mechanism.
Hague court rules in favor of Chevron in dispute with Republic of Ecuador
17-Sep-2020 Nasdaq
The District Court of The Hague ruled in favor of Chevron in its dispute with the Republic of Ecuador, upholding a 2018 arbitral award rendered by an international tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
NGOs ask Macron to ’bury’ EU-Mercosur agreement
17-Sep-2020 Buenos Aires Times
More than 30 NGOs join forces, sending open letter to French leader Emmanuel Macron asking him to "bury" EU-Mercosur trade deal over environmental concerns.
Biden and Pelosi warn UK over risking Good Friday agreement
17-Sep-2020 The Guardian
Leading Democrats warned that the UK’s chances of securing the required congressional support for a UK-US free trade deal will disappear if Northern Ireland peace deal is undermined.
China-Germany-EU leaders’ meeting charts course for development of ties amid COVID-19 pandemic
17-Sep-2020 CCTV English
During the meeting, the Chinese and EU leaders stated their commitment to speeding up the negotiations of the China-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty to achieve the goal of concluding the negotiations within this year.
Official: Thai-EU FTA study could wrap up this month
17-Sep-2020 Bangkok Post
Thai Trade Negotiations Department looks set to conclude the overall study of the long-awaited free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU and send the report to the commerce minister for consideration this month or early next.
Shaping future UK trade policy: investment protection provisions
16-Sep-2020 Trade Justice Movement
As the UK regains full responsibility for its trade and investment policy post-Brexit, it must seriously consider its approach to international investment protection.
Iran, Azerbaijan hold expert-level talks on preferential trade deal
16-Sep-2020 Xinhua
Iran and Azerbaijan held the first round of expert-level talks on clinching a preferential trade agreement.
Coalition formed to facilitate US-Taiwan BTA talks
16-Sep-2020 Focus Taiwan
Business groups in Taiwan and the United States have formed a coalition to facilitate negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement, its founding members said.
Energy companies keep right to sue states in private courts, as treaty reforms blocked
16-Sep-2020 Climate Home News
Negotiators have ruled out an overhaul of private courts that allow energy companies to sue national governments when climate change policies hurt their profits.