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India loses out in Thai FTA
22-May-2006 Financial Express
As the country debates the merits and de-merits of free trade agreements (FTAs), an analysis of trade data shows India has been at the receiving end in both the Thai and the Sri Lanka FTAs.
Proposed FTA with Thailand in choppy waters
22-May-2006 Financial Express
The proposed India-Thailand free trade agreement (FTA), which was to follow the early harvest programme (EHP) implemented in September 2004, seems to be in trouble. The Thai side is refusing to budge from its new demand of making the rules of origin (ROO) norms for the agreement less stringent than the norms being followed under the EHP.
Venezuela says it will pull out of G-3
22-May-2006 AP
President Hugo Chavez said Sunday Venezuela will pull out of a trade bloc with Colombia and Mexico, its latest move to abandon trade deals with countries that have free-trade pacts with the United States.
GCC-New Zealand free trade deal likely next year
22-May-2006 Gulf News
The GCC states and New Zealand are expected to sign a free trade agreement next year.
Chinese proposal for FTA items’ classification rejected
20-May-2006 Business Recorder
Pakistan has rejected a Chinese demand that 90 percent items covered under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should be put on positive list and remaining 10 percent in negative mode.
Gov’t urges anti-FTA protestors to stay home
20-May-2006 Chosun Ilbo
The South Korean government on Friday urged a group of some 100 Koreans to refrain from staging a protest in Washington against the first round of negotiations for a free trade agreement with the US, to be held there on June 5-9.
Signature of an investment protection agreement and a Declaration on Cooperation with Colombia
19-May-2006 Federal Administration
Switzerland and Colombia signed two agreements in Bern on 17 May 2006. The first was an agreement on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investments between Switzerland and Colombia. The second was a Declaration on Cooperation between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Colombia.
China, Pakistan agree on basic terms of free trade pact
18-May-2006 Xinhua
China and Pakistan have agreed on the basic terms of their bilateral free trade pact, officials close to the free trade arrangement (FTA) talks told Xinhua.
EU, South Korea eye preliminary FTA talks
18-May-2006 Forbes
South Korea and the European Union have agreed to hold preliminary talks that could lead to the establishment of a free trade agreement (FTA).
Free trade talks between GCC and Turkey to begin this year
18-May-2006 Khaleej Times
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks between the GCC and Turkey will start this year, according to a senior Turkish government official.
US oil firm files arbitration claim against Ecuador for ’expropriation’
18-May-2006 ANTARA
The US-based Occidental Petroleum Company has filed an arbitration claim against Quito for canceling its exploration rights, a move that resulted in a suspension of free trade talks with Washington.
Occidental files BIT claim against Ecuador at ICSID
18-May-2006
US-based Occidental Petroleum has responded swiftly to a move by the Ecuadorian Government to kick the company out of Ecuador. The firm filed a request for arbitration with the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) yesterday. The company’s claim is expected to be for at least $1 Billion (US) in damages.
US FTA tricks Colombia farmers
18-May-2006 Prensa Latina
When a Colombian top-level delegation travelled to Washington last week to supposedly resolve the contradictions between the Spanish and English versions of the FTA, they instead agreed to import aged US hens to Colombia. US poultry farmers regard those hens as waste, since they are sterile.
New US-Asean trade framework ready soon
18-May-2006 Manila Times
The United States Trade Representative Office (USTR) said a trade and investment framework agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) would be concluded soon.
Ecuador minister says US political interference unacceptable
18-May-2006 MarketWatch
Finance Minister Diego Borja said that the US decision to break off free trade talks with Ecuador after the government canceled Occidental Petroleum Corp’s (OXY) contracts was unacceptable political interference.
EPA as impediment to Nigeria’s devt strategy
18-May-2006 AllAfrica.com
Below is an x-ray and analysis of how the EU-ACP EPA is capable of throwing to oblivion the development dimensions and objectives of Nigeria’s National Economic and Development Strategy.
JPEPA: Arbitration framework readied
18-May-2006 Manila Bulletin
The Philippines and Japan are moving towards adopting arbitration procedures in settling disputes to avoid lengthy and expensive court battles in protecting investments from both sides as they finalize their proposed bilateral free trade pact.
Experts warn of inflated hopes for Korea-US FTA
18-May-2006 Chosun Ilbo
A free trade agreement between Korea and the US is expected to bring substantial challenges as well as opportunities for the Korean economy. The manufacturing industry led by textiles, cars and electronics will see exports increase, but agricultural, fisheries and the service industry will at the very least have undertake structural reforms to survive.
S Korean farm sector to suffer huge damage from US FTA: report
18-May-2006 Asia Pulse
A free trade pact with the United States would deal a hard blow to South Korea’s agricultural sector and cause estimated losses of up to 8.8 trillion won (US$9.39 billion), a Korea University report showed Wednesday.
FIDH report on the effects on human rights of the NAFTA
18-May-2006 FIDH
The International Federation for Human Rights has published the report of a fact-finding mission on the effects on human rights of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The mission, conducted in Mexico between 22 and 31 of August 2005, looked specifically at the effects of NAFTA, ten years after its entering into force, on employment and working conditions in the Northern part of the country, in particular in the maquilas and in the informal economy.