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Two-nation trade talk of town at summit
18-Nov-2005 Associated Press
As world leaders gathered Friday for their annual talks on building a free trade zone that circles the Pacific, they were also spending time in sideline huddles forging one-on-one agreements.
US and Asean agree on stronger links
18-Nov-2005 Bangkok Post
Kantathi Suphamongkhon, the Thai foreign minister, said the partnership, known as the Asean-US Trade and Investment Framework, could lead to a regional free trade area agreement between the 10 members and the US.
Protests turn violent near APEC venue
18-Nov-2005 Reuters
About 2,000 farmers and farm activists and 3,000 union workers took to the streets of Pusan to denounce APEC, the World Trade Organisation and US President George W Bush, who was attending the leaders’ meeting.
Apec admits dangers of bilateral deals
18-Nov-2005 Financial Times
Criticised by business leaders and alarmed by the possible failure of next month’s world trade talks in Hong Kong, Asia-Pacific governments are acknowledging for the first time the dangers of the tangled "spaghetti bowl" of bilateral trade deals they have spawned in the past few years.
Ecuadorean Indigenous vs. FTA
18-Nov-2005 Prensa Latina
Members of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE, in Spanish) are once more staging protests this Thursday to reject the signature of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with United States.
Peru close to sign FTA with US
18-Nov-2005 MENAFN
The proposed free trade pact with the US has caused big demonstrations in Peru due to the farmers of sugar cane, rice, corn, potatoes and cotton fear that US agricultural subsidies will make it impossible for them to compete.
FTA plea by Bush
18-Nov-2005 Gulf Daily News
US President Bush yesterday urged the US Congress to approve a long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bahrain.
China, Chile sign free-trade agreement
18-Nov-2005
China and Chile signed a free-trade agreement Friday, the first between China and a Latin American country.
Andean Nations seek US patent protection for native medicines
18-Nov-2005 Bloomberg
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are turning the tables on U.S. trade negotiators accustomed to winning tough safeguards for drug patents by demanding similar protections for traditional therapies such as roots and leaves.
EU group sees regional deals’ potential
17-Nov-2005
European Union (EU) trade organisations have called for regional free trade agreements to complement World Trade Organisation negotiations for a global open market.
Israel seeks free trade agreement with Mercosur bloc
17-Nov-2005
At the end of last week, Minister of Finance and Industry, Trade and Labor Ehud Olmert met with Brazil’s State of Sao Paolo Governor Geraldo Alckmin in order to promote a free trade region with the Mercosur bloc (Mercado Comun del Sur), comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. The signing of a framework agreement is expected in December.
FTA between Singapore and Kuwait "a matter of time" — Tarmugi
17-Nov-2005
The Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Singapore and Kuwait is "a matter of time" as there are some outstanding issues surrounding such agreements that would have to be resolved, a senior Singaporean official revealed on Thursday.
India, look ahead: A two-pronged strategy for boosting trade
17-Nov-2005
The current state of play in the Doha Round negotiations underlines the importance of stronger bilateral and regional trading agreements for India. As of now, India has concluded trading agreements with Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore. In the regional context, Safta and Bimstec are yet to really takeoff.
US ’Big Brother’ attitude in FTAs draws criticism
17-Nov-2005
Arabs attending a conference in Bahrain blasted yesterday Washington’s "Big Brother" attitude in bilateral Free Trade Agreements, saying they are political tools to serve US interests rather than enhance economic prosperity in the region.
Singapore-Panama FTA on track for progress
17-Nov-2005
Singapore’s plans to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Panama remain on track.
Democrats and labor leaders balk at lack of workers rights under CAFTA
17-Nov-2005 AXcess News
Democratic members of Congress and labor leaders say they want the Bush administration to move away from CAFTA’s failed trade model or face another tough battle in Congress.
Goff calls for APEC FTA progress, Doha pressure
16-Nov-2005
Noting that a "spaghetti bowl of rules" would result from multiple bilateral free trade agreements among APEC members, Minister of Trade Phil Goff has called for coherence between FTAs in the region.
Understanding FTAs: going back to the basics
14-Nov-2005 Korea Herald
Despite being a late starter in pursuing bilateral free trade agreements, Korea has been actively seeking Free Trade Agreement talks with its trading partners around the world.
ADB, RBI for FTA between India and Mekong nations
11-Nov-2005 The Hindu
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday advocated that India should go in for a free trade agreement (FTA) with China and five other nations in the Mekong region to sustain high growth.
Attracting FDI through the spread of free trade agreements
10-Nov-2005 Thai Labour Campaign
This paper shows how free trade agreements (FTAs) in Southeast Asia are essentially a means to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) at the expense of labour standards. It explores the significance of FDI in export-oriented industrialisation and for economic transformation in Southeast Asia, with emphasis on the increasing global competition for FDI.