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US-South Korea trade deal comes under congressional fire
25-Sep-2008 Dow Jones
A pending free trade agreement between the US and South Korea came under fire Wednesday, with a US senator and auto industry officials saying the deal would exacerbate the imbalance in auto trade between the countries and that the Korean government can’t be trusted to honor the deal.
Nooyi calls for India-US investment treaty
25-Sep-2008 Economic Times
PepsiCo chairman Indra Nooyi on Wednesday called for a bilateral investment treaty between India and the US to drive growth in trade relations.
EU MPs back trade deal with India, voice religion concerns
25-Sep-2008 AFP
The European parliament on Wednesday called for the EU negotiate a free trade deal with India by the end of the year, though several voiced concerns over human rights abuses, in particular against Christians.
Indigenous seek more land rights
25-Sep-2008 Latinamerica Press
Peru’s Congress on Sept. 20 signed a law repealing two presidential decrees that lowered the requirements for the sale of indigenous lands a month after large mobilizations by indigenous Amazon groups in demand that the laws be knocked down.
Peru, Colombia push for bilateral trade deals with EU
24-Sep-2008 ICTSD
Both Peru and Colombia want to work quickly to conclude bilateral trade deals with the EU, as negotiations toward a regional-level pact have largely stalled.
Taiwan wants FTA with EU
24-Sep-2008 China Post
Taiwan’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Yiin Chii-ming, said yesterday that Taiwan wants an FTA with the EU.
Kenya: Tea market tumultuous as trading partners change
23-Sep-2008 IPS
Tea used to be Kenya’s major cash crop earner but ever since the world’s largest consumer of tea, Pakistan, entered into a free trade agreement with seven of its Asian neighbours, the local tea industry has been haemorrhaging.
New Indo-Nepal economic pact in pipeline
23-Sep-2008 Thaindian
India is holding talks with Nepal over a new Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
Could free trade with US impact Pharmac?
23-Sep-2008
Concerns are being raised by the Green Party as to how a free trade agreement with the United States might affect domestic drug-funding agency Pharmac.
Goff welcomes US FTA negotiations
23-Sep-2008
The US has reinvigorated its trade policy with the announcement it will enter into comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to become a full partner to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (P4).
US says dairy sector could be ready for NZ trade deal
23-Sep-2008 NBR
The United States’ dairy industry is more open to a free trade deal with New Zealand than in the past, US trade representative Susan Schwab says.
US free trade agreement a poisoned chalice for NZ
23-Sep-2008 Scoop
The proposed expansion of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (NZ, Chile, Brunei, and Singapore, commonly known as the P4 Agreement) to include investment and financial services, and to add the US to its membership, was bad enough. But for this to suddenly morph into a fullblown Free Trade Agreement with the US is catastrophic for any remaining economic sovereignty that New Zealand has.
Australia, Peru, Vietnam want to join trans-Pacific free trade deal
23-Sep-2008 AFP
Australia, Peru and Vietnam have expressed interest in joining a budding Asia-Pacific tariff-busting plan which received a boost on Monday with the participation of the United States, officials said.
NMPF to fight inclusion of dairy products in proposed New Zealand free trade agreement
23-Sep-2008 Dairy Herd Management
The US National Milk Producers Federation said today it would seek the full exclusion of New Zealand’s dairy products under the newly-announced Transpacific free trade agreement. This stance is because of the New Zealand dairy industry’s unique structure and excessive manipulation of dairy markets globally and in the US.
$1 billion bonanza hope in US deal
23-Sep-2008 Stuff
The New Zealand National Party’s trade spokesman Tim Groser believes the dairy sector is likely to emerge as the big winner from the United States’ decision to negotiate a free trade pact with New Zealand and three other countries because the deal could break down strict tariff barriers for dairy products entering the US. He also predicts Australia will want to get involved in the deal.
Selassie’s warning about Europe prophetic
22-Sep-2008 The Nation
The heated debates in the Caribbean surrounding this region’s involvement in an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe and the upcoming sixth summit of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in Ghana where similar issues will be debated, brings to memory the words of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie who saw a long time ago the danger the European union — then the European Common Market — would pose for Africa.
Economic partnership talks: Pacific tells Europeans to focus on what we can do
22-Sep-2008 Solomon Star
Pacific Island countries, including Solomon Islands, have told the European Union they remain committed to concluding a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by year’s end. And because not all of them will sign up to the ‘trade in goods’ part, they want to focus on issues where agreement can be easiest reached.
US FTA shows lessons of Fonterra not learned
22-Sep-2008 Scoop
The New Zealand Alliance Party says a proposed new free trade deal with the USA is a race to the bottom that will be great for big business and terrible for workers. The party’s trade spokesperson Victor Billot says any free trade deal is coming at a strange time as the global financial system teeters on the edge of collapse and Fonterra’s venture into China has ended in disaster.
US to join budding Asia-Pacific FTA
22-Sep-2008 The Age
The United States has agreed to join Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei in a free trade agreement which could set the pace for a broader Asia-Pacific free trade area, officials said.
Korea, India aim to find middle ground on farm goods at Cepa talks
22-Sep-2008 Yonhap
"The aim of the talks will be to ensure the greatest possible protection for sensitive items, so that if a CEPA pact is signed, the fallout for local farmers can be minimized," a Korean ministry official said. He added that talks are entering the home stretch.