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GCC-Asean FTA discussed
Officials at the GCC and Asean countries stressed the importance of enhancing co-operation in the fields of trade and investment and exploring the possibility of negotiation regarding the Free Trade Agreement between the two groups.
Customs misses 1st-half target by 8.6%
The Bureau of Customs on Wednesday said its collections in the first six months were 8.6-percent below target due to a strong peso and partly as a result of slower imports following Japan’s twin disasters in March.
Obama still uncertain on ways to proceed with FTA bill
The Barack Obama administration is still looking for the best timing to send a bill on a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea to Congress, a senior official said Wednesday, with no clear signs of a breakthrough in federal debt limit talks.
India, Australia to hold 1st round of FTA talks in end-July
Australia and India are all set to hold the first preliminary round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations in India by the end of this month, according to Australian High Commissioner to India Peter Varghese.
Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Did US move threaten public health?
Civil society groups say a leaked document from regional free trade negotiations between countries bordering the Pacific Ocean shows the United States favouring giant pharmaceutical companies at the expense of public health.
Putin calls for Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan free trade talks with EU
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which have recently formed a common economic space (CES), should start talks to create a free trade zone with the European Union, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
Push for Colombia’s FTA
Chief trade officials from Korea and Colombia agreed to closely cooperate for an early conclusion of their free trade negotiations, Seoul’s trade ministry said yesterday.
Senator proposes congressional conference on pending FTA bills
A senior U.S. senator on Monday proposed a joint "mock conference" by the Senate and the House of Representatives to help resolve a deadlock over trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
US-PHL: Trade deal entry offered
Washington has asked Manila to consider joining a regional free trade agreement to open up the Philippine economy, the United States ambassador said.
Hundreds gather outside the White House to protest the Colombia free trade agreement
Hundreds gathered outside the White House on Monday to protest the Colombia free trade agreement, which they say will kill jobs here, and threaten communities in Colombia.
Labour issue blocking TICFA deal: Faruk
Disagreement on the issue of workers’ union in EPZs is standing in the way of Bangladesh signing the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) with the US, according to the commerce minister.
Business, labor spar over Colombia free-trade deal
While the loudest shouting is about unionists and the union movement in Colombia, it appears at times to mask an altogether different debate: whether trade pacts are good or bad for jobs in the US.
Officials indicate ractopamine ban remains in place
Taiwan is in no hurry to lift the ban on a lean growth-enhancing agent, the cause of a major trade dispute with the US, as the international food standards setting body again failed to advance maximum residue limits (MRLs) for the additive, government officials said yesterday.
Trade in Services in US FTA with Jordan
The US-JO FTA includes a provision for trade in services in article 3
"BRICS can ensure affordable drugs"
While ‘data exclusivity’ clauses will not feature in the India-European Union free trade agreement (FTA), the threat posed by the impending deal to the world’s supply of cheap generic drugs is far from over.
Pressing for strong IPR regime in FTA with India: EU tells WTO
The European Union has informed the WTO that it is pressing for inclusion of strong IPR regime in the free trade agreement under negotiations with India even as the Commerce Ministry has maintained that New Delhi will not yield to the EU on this issue.
EU calls on Japan to compromise on free trade talks
European Union President Herman Van Rompuy told Hiromasa Yonekura, head of the Japan Business Federation, that Japan should budge on the issue of dropping nontariff barriers, an official said, quoting Yonekura as saying during the meeting, "I will tell the government when I’m back."
Vietnam, EU look forward to free trade argreement
Vietnam and the EU are now at the beginning of negotiations. Vietnam expects to benefit from exporting agricultural and aquaculture products to the EU market, while the EU hopes to export machines, equipment and automobiles to Vietnam.
Free-trade deals would be costly to US
For over a decade, the labor movement and development advocates have called for fair-trade policy that is part of a more coordinated and coherent national economic strategy. Unfortunately, the Korean, Colombian and Panamanian free-trade deals before Congress do not address the fundamental policy failures of the North American Free Trade Agreement and China’s inclusion into "favored nation status," which has led to catastrophic job loss in the U.S. and the explosion of our import/export deficit, now reaching $500 billion annually.
S.Korea and China resume preliminary FTA talks
The South Korean and Chinese governments recently resumed preliminary ministerial discussions on sensitive areas prior to beginning discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA).