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American Business Council welcomes FTA with US
22-Sep-2005 Khaleej Times
Welcoming the signing of the Free Trade Agreement between the US and the UAE, Anis Nassar, president of the American Business Council in Dubai said the move would help increase the economical potential of the Emirates.
Be cautious about foreign capital
22-Sep-2005 Korea Times
I don’t know that the result of the recent FTAs’ will be a tragedy because the end is quite open. But we should not deny the new version of the Korea-U.S. BIT. The 2004 BIT is included unchanged in the American FTA text.
Philippines seeks sector-specific FTA with US
22-Sep-2005 Manila Bulletin
The Philippine government is pushing for a sector specific free trade agreement (FTA) with the US starting off with the garments sector to immediately take advantage of a duty-free privilege for garment exports and strengthen its presence in the US, the country’s biggest garment market.
Talks between US, Andean countries in final stretch
22-Sep-2005 IPS
Trade negotiators and officials in Colombia, where the 12th round of negotiations of a free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia, Peru and Ecuador is taking place Monday through Friday, say the talks are moving ahead smoothly.
Resist external forces, trade bodies urged
22-Sep-2005 AllAfrica.com
Regional trade integration bodies must stand together and prevent outside forces like the European Union (EU) from promoting divisions to suit their varied agendas, especially when dealing with African member states, a Government minister has urged.
Australia, Japan agree FTA study details
22-Sep-2005 Sydney Morning Herald
Australia and Japan have finalised the details of a planned free-trade feasibility study, Trade Minister Mark Vaile has said. But despite the breakthrough, Mr Vaile cautioned that any deal on a free trade agreement (FTA) was still a long way off and faced political hurdles.
US responsive to Thai concerns
22-Sep-2005 Bangkok Post
US congressmen have pledged to accommodate Thailand’s concerns about drug prices and freer mobility for Thais into the United States once the two countries conclude their free trade area (FTA) agreement.
Not all share PM’s wish for fast FTA
22-Sep-2005 The Nation
Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya said yesterday that the Thai-US free-trade agreement (FTA) would be difficult to hurry as Thai bankers are concerned about competing with their sophisticated counterparts in the field of e-banking. “I can’t say when the deal could be concluded because both sides still use absolutely different approaches,” Thanong said.
India may ink preferential trade pact with Mauritius
22-Sep-2005 Business Standard
India and Mauritius are likely to enter into a Preferential Trading Agreement before going for a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
TWN seminar warns about WTO-plus issues and rules in bilateral and regional FTAs
22-Sep-2005
The Third World Network held a regional Asian workshop on bilateral and regional FTAs on 26-29 August in Kuala Lumpur. Many speakers and participants voiced concerns about how the developed countries are making use of such FTAs to get developing countries to accept issues.
Asian regional workshop on bilateral free trade agreements
22-Sep-2005
The Asian Regional Workshop on Bilateral Free Trade Agreements was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 26-28 August 2005. It was organized by the Third World Network and attended by about 120 participants from many Asian countries.
Bilateral/regional free trade agreements: An outline of elements, nature and development implications
22-Sep-2005
Several Asian countries and Asean as a bloc are now pursuing trade and economic frameworks and agreements with non-Asean countries.
Data Exclusivity - Its Interpretation and India
21-Sep-2005
The Intellectual Property Regime in India is in the final stages of ensuring compliance with the standards agreed in the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (‘TRIPS’).
AMCHAM urges Seoul to start FTA talks soon
21-Sep-2005 Korea Times
The US business community in Korea Wednesday expressed its collective hope to launch free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. within this year, noting increasing interest in forming such a trade pact among US policymakers.
Olmert: Free trade pact with S. America close
21-Sep-2005 Jerusalem Post
Israel is close to signing the free trade agreement with the Mercado Comun del Sur (Mercosur) countries in South America, acting Finance Minister Ehud Olmert indicated yesterday.
Leaders agree to conclude US-Thai FTA in 2006
21-Sep-2005 Asia Pulse
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and US President George W Bush agreed Monday to make vigorous efforts to reach a conclusion on the US-Thai Free Trade Agreement (FTA) next year, the leaders said in a joint statement.
US presses S. Korea on issues blocking FTA negotiations
21-Sep-2005 Yonhap
The US Trade Representative (USTR), raising doubts about South Korea’s commitment to a bilateral free trade agreement, pressed the Asian trading partner Tuesday to be "unambiguous" in supporting it.
US, three S. American nations begin talks
20-Sep-2005 AP
The United States began a new round of negotiations Monday with Peru, Ecuador and Colombia for a proposed free-trade agreement aimed at giving the three South American nations tariff-free access to US markets.
Chile-China trade pact could be signed in November
20-Sep-2005 Reuters
Chile and China could sign a free trade agreement as early as November, tying together the world’s biggest producer and consumer of copper, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos told Reuters on Tuesday.
An Asian economic community?
20-Sep-2005 Economic Times
There is a lot of anxiety in the developed world that Asia, buttressed by markets such as China and India, might be emerging as a big free trade block by itself.