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Malaysia to draw up FTA framework with GCC countries by October, says Mukhriz
4-Jun-2010 Bernama
Malaysia hopes to draw up a frawework for free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries by October, said International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.
ECFA early-harvest list may contain 500 items: Chinese official
4-Jun-2010 CENS
Mainland China may make a major concession in the talks for cross-Taiwan Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) by expanding the early-harvest list, or priority items for tariff cut or market opening, to 500 items rather than the expected 300.
China, India to raise concerns at WTO about “TRIPS-plus” measures, ACTA
3-Jun-2010 IPW
China and India next week plan to voice concerns at the World Trade Organization about efforts by developed countries to push poorer trading partners beyond their WTO commitments on trade and intellectual property rights, so-called TRIPS-plus measures.
Suspend all ties with Israel: CPI(M)
3-Jun-2010 PTI
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) demands that the government of India stop negotiating its Free Trade Agreement with Israel in view of the attack by Israeli commandos on a six-ship convoy carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on an aid mission to Gaza strip.
Bananas: Geneva Agreement signed, bilaterals cut tariffs further
3-Jun-2010 ICTSD
The Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas cuts the EU’s multilateral banana tariff in gradual steps while its bilateral tariff on bananas from Peru, Colombia and six Central American countries will be slashed still further.
Ma urges PRC not to block FTAs
3-Jun-2010 Taipei Times
Taiwan’s President Ma is in trouble after a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman says that Beijing would not allow Taiwan to sign trade deals with other countries, even after an ECFA is signed.
Taiwan foreign FTAs opposed
2-Jun-2010 Straits Times
Taiwan protested on Wednesday after China said it will object to foreign countries signing free trade agreements with the island, a blow to what Taipei officials see as a key driver to its US$390 billion economy.
Can-EU trade talks look good but face 3 potential sticking points: Spanish envoy
2-Jun-2010 Canadian Press
A European diplomat identified three potential obstacles Tuesday to a free-trade deal with Canada: intellectual property rights, agriculture and government contracts.
China makes top priority of free-trade deal with Gulf
2-Jun-2010 The National
China has made securing a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the GCC a high priority as demand for energy and industrial imports in the fast-emerging global superpower rises.
Government’s ECFA referendum stance misleading: TSU
2-Jun-2010 Focus Taiwan
Taiwan authorities will decide Thursday on whether the ECFA referendum proposal is valid.
RP to explore bilateral pact with Taiwan
1-Jun-2010 PDI
The Philippines is exploring the possibility of forging a bilateral agreement with Taipei, with talks to start between the two governments this week at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers’ meeting in Japan.
NZ, Russia agree to begin free trade accord talks
1-Jun-2010 Bloomberg
New Zealand, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, agreed to begin work on a free trade accord with Russia, the world’s largest market for butter and cheese. Any such deal will include Belarus and Kazakstan, according to NZ trade minister Tim Groser.
DNA wants a CEPA debate
31-May-2010 Daily Mirror
The Democratic National Alliance in Sri Lanka has decided to ask for a parliamentary debate on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to be signed with India and asked the government to disclose the contents of the agreement.
CEPA signing likely to delay
31-May-2010 The Nation
Although Governments of India and Sri Lanka have shown keen interest in expediting their mutual trade pact, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is likely to get delayed after local business leaders have expressed grave concerns over its impact on Sri Lankan economy.
Lankan entrepreneurs protest against CEPA
31-May-2010 Sunday Times
The Business Times reliably understands that sections of the government provided unofficial backing for the protest.
S.Korea, Japan and China to speed up trade accord
31-May-2010 AFP
South Korea, Japan and China agreed Sunday to speed up an investment accord and research on a trilateral free trade pact.
New website launched to promote debate on Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations
30-May-2010
A new website, "Trans-Pacific Partnership Digest", has been launched to provide a comprehensive data base of material on the negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement involving New Zealand, the US, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The second round of negotiations will take place in San Francisco next week.
RP gov’t urged to resist EU pressure for ’economic integration’
28-May-2010 IBON
The just-concluded EU-ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Madrid ended with apparent agreement on economic integration mechanisms and the EU calling the ASEAN countries not to implement protectionist measures.
Catastrophic Economic Partisan Agreement (CEPA) with India means disaster
28-May-2010 Lanka Web
The India-Sri Lanka agreement is like the story of two farmers who share a cow by owning two equal halves of the cow. They tied a rope around the belly of the cow. One owned the front part and the other the rear. Farmer who owned the rear got all the economic benefits including milk, calves and even manure while the other paid for it!
GCC members suspend free-trade talks with Europe
27-May-2010 Bloomberg
“Negotiations were suspended because EU countries added a clause depriving GCC countries the right to impose duties on EU exports in the future,” the Director General of the External Economic Relations Department at the Gulf Cooperation Council said.