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Japan-ASEAN FTA (2008)
21-Apr-2008 MOFA
Lee, Bush connect FTA to alliance
20-Apr-2008
President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President George W. Bush shared the view that the free trade agreement (FTA) is important for the two countries’ alliance.
Colombian gov’t infiltrated by ’paras’-witness
20-Apr-2008 Reuters
The allegation could increase resistance in Washington to a US-Colombia free trade deal, blocked by House of Representatives Democrats concerned that Uribe is not doing enough to protect labor union members who are often targeted by the paramilitaries.
Tecom land dispute risks damaging US FTA
20-Apr-2008 Arabian Business
A $1 billion lawsuit between Tecom Investments and a US company could hinder free trade talks between the US and the UAE, a US Congressional document shows.
Vietnam, Chile eye free trade agreement
20-Apr-2008 Viet Nam Net
Vietnam and Chile have established a joint mission to study the feasibility of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
Business executives plan to stress free trade to Bush, Harper, Calderon
20-Apr-2008 Globe and Mail
Leading business executives from Canada, US and Mexico will try to rally NAFTA leaders against increasing protectionist sentiment next week by issuing a call for greater co-operation in the face of cries by Democratic presidential candidates to review free trade.
Filipino fishers JPEPA’s biggest losers, says leftwing group
20-Apr-2008 Inquirer
If approved, an estimated 200,000 metric tons of tuna would be fished annually by the Japanese in Philippine waters under the agreement. This would amount to $970 million annual loses for the Philippine fisher folk sector.
Diet to open door to foreign nurses, care workers
20-Apr-2008 HDR Japan
The Diet (Japan’s Parliament) is set to approve an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with Indonesia, which will open the door to foreign nurses and care workers for the first time in history, government officials said.
Emirates persists on US trade agreement
20-Apr-2008 Emirates Business 24/7
The UAE has taken a second route to an FTA with the US after failing to meet the time frame originally established by the Trade Promotion Authority granted by Congress: the Tifa-Plus (Trade and Investment Framework Agreement) process, which provides a framework for further discussions on the FTA and on short-term issues.
Handled with tact, FTAs can do what WTO can’t
20-Apr-2008 China Daily
Compared with a multilateral organization like the WTO, FTAs are much more convenient for China in several aspects.
Dealing with the Proliferation of Bilateral Trade Agreements
19-Apr-2008
In this paper, we consider the various options proposed in dealing with the spaghetti bowl, and assess their ability to do so.
US-SKorea free trade pact still in limbo after beef deal
19-Apr-2008 AFP
The United States and South Korea may have ended a longstanding row over beef but the headway seems insufficient to convince the Democratic-controlled Congress to ratify a free trade agreement between the two allies.
USTR fact sheet on opening South Korea to US beef
19-Apr-2008 USTR
The United States and Korea concluded an agreement on April 18, 2008 to fully reopen South Korea’s market to all US beef and beef products irrespective of whether or not the FTA is ratified
Businesses warily eye Democrats’ trade position
18-Apr-2008 Reuters
As the race to select a US Democratic presidential nominee drags on, corporate chieftains and some trade groups are raising concerns about the candidates’ free trade positions.
South Korea relaxes US beef import rules
18-Apr-2008 Washington Post
South Korea on Friday agreed to open up to U.S. beef imports after Washington pledged to raise safety standards, boosting prospects for a sweeping trade deal ahead of a summit between leaders of the allies later in the day.
Human rights vow over trade talks
18-Apr-2008
Human rights issues will be high on the agenda in negotiations between the European Union and the GCC on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a senior official declared in Bahrain last night.
Emirates persists on US trade agreement
18-Apr-2008
The United States has not dropped the ball on a free-trade agreement with the UAE, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade, told delegates at the Middle East-Asia Leadership Forum in Dubai.
Handled with tact, FTAs can do what WTO can’t
18-Apr-2008
On April 7, China and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement (FTA) covering trade in goods and services as well as investment, making it the first FTA reached by China with a developed country.
Food safety on the butcher’s block
18-Apr-2008 FPIP
The United States is using bilateral trade agreements to arm-twist weaker countries into accepting its food safety standards as a tool to expand the market control of US corporations. South Korea is the latest victim.
Pacific trade ministers slam EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson
18-Apr-2008 Pacific Network on Globalisation
New letters show extent of dissent among Pacific trade ministers as ministers accuse top EU trade official of being "domineering" and using divide and rule tactics to split the region.