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Switzerland and China eye possible free trade deal
9-Jul-2007
Swiss Economic Affairs Minister Doris Leuthard and Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai pledged in Beijing to study the feasibility of a free trade deal.
Disappointment over EFTA Court ruling on power rights
9-Jul-2007
The international EFTA Court in Luxembourg has ruled that Norway’s regulations on ownership of hydropower concessions, which demand that private owners must turn their concessions back to the state after 60 years, are contrary to regulations of the European Economic Area (EEA).
RI-Japan EPA final draft turned into legal document
9-Jul-2007
Indonesian and Japanese legal consultants at the end of last week finished processing the final draft of the planned Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the two countries, a diplomat said.
Africa ‘must rationalise on trade blocs’
9-Jul-2007
SA and the rest of southern Africa needed to rationalise trade blocs to allow for stronger and larger regional economic communities, said Finance Minister Trevor Manuel yesterday.
Sacrificing the nation’s health for American beef
9-Jul-2007
An imported-beef inspection team appointed by the government went to the United States on June 30 for a four-phase appraisal of the risks of American beef. It should be a precise process but everything from the preparation to the actual inspection made it seem as if they were just going through the motions. You worry whether they were adequately inspecting the beef for mad cow risk.
Trade: EU policies ’predatory’
7-Jul-2007 IPS
The European Union’s trade policy has been condemned as "predatory" by a leading anti-poverty campaigner from India.
Dominican Republic has yet to fully access Dr-Cafta trade deal
6-Jul-2007
Dominican Republic still has some 10 commitments pending to fully access the Free Trade Agreement signed with the United States and Central America (DR-CAFTA), and for that reason confronts a situation defined as "serious" against its other competitors.
Colombia warns over ties to US
6-Jul-2007
This Andean nation would be compelled to rethink its close ties to Washington if the Democratic-controlled US Congress refuses to ratify a bilateral free trade agreement, the country’s vice president said Thursday.
Nguyen ready for FTA with India
6-Jul-2007
The Vietnamese government today said it was open to the idea of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
EPAs negotiations
6-Jul-2007
Ghana has not yet concluded on its position on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), which is to be signed by the end of this year.
Indonesia and Japan agree to sign FTA
6-Jul-2007
Trade ministers from Japan and Indonesia have agreed the two nations will sign a bilateral free trade agreement when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Indonesia in August, a senior Japanese official said Friday.
Japan wants resources clause in FTA deal
6-Jul-2007
Japan may try to have a specific clause to safeguard its imports of coal and iron ore inserted into any free trade deal with Australia.
Japan keeps rice out of free trade proposals
6-Jul-2007
Japan’s trade supremo Akira Amari has ruled out opening up the country’s rice market in a free trade agreement with Australia, saying Japan’s aim is to secure a deal that covers "90 per cent" of trade between the two countries.
EU may not put human rights condition for FTA
6-Jul-2007
The European Union may back off from its insistence on including non-trade issues like human rights in the proposed free trade pact with India.
Japan cool to New Zealand’s FTA proposal
5-Jul-2007 Kyodo
Japan implicitly turned down a proposal from New Zealand on Thursday to seek a bilateral free trade agreement, noting that agricultural trade will act as a stumbling block.
Investor-state dispute settlement rewritten to favor US
5-Jul-2007
With Seoul and Washington concluding their renegotiation of the Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA), it has been confirmed there were some ‘‘unfair parts’’ added to the economic deal under which investors of both sides are not treated equally in their respective countries.
Greater access for Pak products to US markets
5-Jul-2007
Pakistan has called for an early conclusion of Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to provide greater market access for Pakistani products into US markets.
India, Ethiopia sign investment promotion pact
5-Jul-2007 Economic Times
Seeking to "rediscover" their relationship, India and Ethiopia on Thursday signed an agreement to promote bilateral investments and decided to increase coordination on critical global issues like UN reforms.
APEC talks rule out Asia-Pacific free trade push
5-Jul-2007 The Age
A free trade agreement between APEC countries, including manufacturing giant China, appears to be off the table.
Canada: Trade deals may become socially responsible
5-Jul-2007 Embassy
As the Canadian government prepares to launch free trade talks with a host of developing countries, it is quietly weighing private sector attitudes on including references to corporate social responsibility in the deals.