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Palau president doubts free trade push
Palau’s president, Tommy Remengesau, believes the Pacific Islands Forum - comprising 16 independent countries of the Pacific including Australia and New Zealand - is introducing free trade into the region in the wrong way.
NZ-China trade deal said 2 years away
New Zealand hopes to wrap up a comprehensive free trade agreement with China by mid-2009 — a year later than scheduled — Prime Minister Helen Clark said Tuesday.
Sarkozy tests the Mediterranean Union in the Maghreb
The head of state is making his first trip outside of Europe to Algeria and Tunisia. Nicolas Sarkozy flies this morning to Algiers, where he will have a meeting and working lunch with the president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, before going to Tunis.
Tough FTA rules to curb trade diversions
Being on an overdrive to ink several free trade agreements (FTA) following the recent collapse of the WTO talks, India is now mulling tightening standards on rules of origin (ROOs) of goods by including new ‘product-specific’ norms.
Goff moots idea of regional free trade deal
Trade minister Phil Goff has floated the prospect of a regional free trade deal comprising the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Brunei and South Korea.
Bush administration, industry meet as Panama, Peru trade deals delayed
Senior members of the Bush administration and several US industry representatives were meeting today in Washington in order to devise a plan under which stalled free trade agreements (FTAs) with Panama and Peru might be quickly approved by Congress.
Don’t sign the EPAs - coalition tells African gov’ts
As December draws closer and intense pressure by the European Union (EU) is mounting on African governments to sign the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), African youth have their leaders not to sign.
Kenya could lose out on a new trade deal with EU
Kenya is among 75 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries currently engaged in negotiations with the EU for a new trade framework under the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). As time is running fast, we need to examine the issues.
S. Korea-U.S. FTA causes drop in beef, pork prices: gov’t
Beef and pork prices in South Korea fell year-on-year in the second quarter for the first time in eight years, apparently due to the proposed free trade pact with the United States, the government said Monday.
Switzerland and China eye possible free trade deal
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
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
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’
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
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’
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
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
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
The Vietnamese government today said it was open to the idea of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
EPAs negotiations
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
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.