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Saudi Arabia, US to sign trade agreement
Saudi Arabia will sign a trade agreement with the United States in the next two days to pave the ground for entering the World Trade Organization.
ASEAN in tariffs progress
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is said to be on track to achieve a zero-tariff regime by 2015, a key ingredient for its ambitious plan to create a single market and production base by 2020.
Work begins on another trade accord with Andean nations
The battle over a free trade agreement with Central America spilled over Tuesday in Miami to the Andean nations of South America.
Canada moving closer to free trade deal with South Korea: minister
Canada is close to launching formal free-trade negotiations with South Korea as part of the federal government’s efforts to gain a firmer - and more lucrative - foothold in the massive and booming Asian region.
FTA to propel regional economy
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are taking a tangible step towards creating the world’s most populous free trade area (FTA).
Andean trade negotiators meet in Miami for talks
Trade talks with three Andean countries get underway in downtown Miami, but for free-trade supporters the key issue in town is still the Congressional vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
Talking Turkey
After seven years of negotiations carried out in fits and spurts - and the near-death of talks under the previous government of Atef Ebeid - Turkey and Egypt are finally set to sign a free trade agreement in the coming two months.
Proceed with care:There’s no need to rush into an FTA with China
Commerce minister Kamal Nath’s position that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China would not work until it becomes a market economy is not unreasonable.
Don’t hold your breath
Despite a list of reforms enacted in the last six months, Egypt seems no closer to a free-trade deal with the United States as the current ambassador heads back to Washington for a high-powered new post.
Bilateral Free Trade Agreement deal with neighbouring countries: consultants to point out benefits, risks
The Bangladesh commerce ministry is going to consultants to run a study to identify the benefits and possible risks of signing any bilateral trade agreement (FTA) with neighbouring countries.
China-ASEAN FTA feared to hurt S. Korea’s exports: KITA
The implementation of a free trade agreement (FTA) between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will negatively affect South Korea’s export competitiveness, a private trade promotion body said Tuesday.
Demand for short FTA sensitive list
India on Tuesday moved a step closer towards finalising its negotiating strategy for the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Commerce Ministry continuing rigorous consultations with Indian industry for identifying the items of India’s export interest figuring in the "sensitive list’’ of other member countries.
Industry balks at ASEAN-China FTA
Industry players are generally the most affected stakeholders in any free trade agreement (FTA), but they continually feel they are being left out of the FTA negotiation process. The implementation of the FTA between China and ASEAN nations — which would see almost all import duties slashed starting on Wednesday and gradually dropping to zero by 2010 — is the latest example.
Thais seek shield against ’biopiracy’
While United States trade negotiators seek to strengthen intellectual property protection under the proposed Thai-US free trade area agreement, Thailand is raising the issue of genetic resources and ways to guard against biopiracy.
CAFTA’s debt trap
Criticism of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) currently being considered by the U.S. Congress has focused heavily on concerns that the treaty would devastate Central American farmers who would be forced to compete with heavily subsidized U.S. agribusiness.
RI, Japan focus on cooperation
Japan and Indonesia are focusing their series of negotiations on setting up an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment and intellectual property rights, the Indonesian Minister of Trade says.
Pakistan, Malaysia talks on FTA get underway
The 2nd round of negotiations on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Malaysia commenced at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday.
FTA signed: NZ, Chile, Singapore and Brunei to end tariffs
Government officials today signed off on a multi-nation free trade agreement that will end all trade tariffs among New Zealand, Chile, Singapore and Brunei by 2015.
Tariff rows may delay launch of SAFTA
Bangladesh, Pakistan and India continue to get locked in the niceties of negotiations on exchange of tariff concessions, particularly for competing products such as textiles at a time when less than six months are left for the agreement on South Asia Free Trade Area (Safta) of the seven-member South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) to come into operation.
Japan needs trade pact with ASEAN
Analysts have said it is a matter of time before China will replace Japan as the ASEAN’s largest trade partner.