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What Alvaro Uribe won’t talk about at the United Nations this week (but probably discussed with President Bush over the weekend)
25-Sep-2008 Upside Down World
At a certain level, I must admit, I almost felt sorry for Colombian President Alvaro Uribe last week. His high-profile visit to Washington was unexpectedly shortened because it became readily apparent that members of the US Congress were not really interested in hearing his last ditch effort to get them to approve the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, FTA.
Toxic food crisis outcome of free trade policies
25-Sep-2008 Scoop
The Fonterra scandal in China has evolved into a major food crisis. "We are seeing the reality of free trade in action, the negatives that have been concealed by the greed and arrogance of Government and private business interests," says the New Zealand Alliance Party
Over 100 activists gather to protest free trade agreement
25-Sep-2008 LACCC
On Friday, September 19, 2008, over 100 activists gathered in front of the National Press Club in Washington, DC to protest the efforts of Colombia’s president Álvaro Uribe to promote the Free Trade Agreement.
Aussies keen on a piece of the action
25-Sep-2008 NZ Herald
Canberra sees the transpacific partnership as a potential stepping stone to a broader regional agreement, and as a means of ensuring Australia is not damaged by the growing number of free trade agreements throughout the Asia Pacific.
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.