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S. Korean fruit growers hurt by S. Korea-Chile FTA
17-Mar-2005 Yonhap
South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said 12,644 local peach, kiwi and grape farms across the country have decided to halt operations since the FTA’s ratification, indicating that the opening of the domestic market is taking a toll on the growers.
Speeding free trade
17-Mar-2005 Oxford Business Group
Washington wants to sign Free Trade Agreements with every country in the Middle East - North Africa region by 2013, to promote economic and political development in line with recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission.
Australia eyes free-trade deal with UAE as ’launchpad’ for access to Middle East
17-Mar-2005 Daily Star
Australia and the United Arab Emirates agreed Tuesday to begin negotiations on a bilateral free-trade agreement (FTA) that Canberra said would be a "launchpad" for expanded business opportunities across the Middle East.
Aussie BitTorrent case to test Aust-US FTA
17-Mar-2005 Zdnet Australia
Warner Music Australia and other record companies are suing ISP Swiftel Communications for copyright infringement for allegedly hosting and maintaining two Internet computer servers and a Web site called Archie’s Hub which deploys the BitTorrent application. The case is the first to test legislation passed to enact the Australian-United States Free Trade Agreement.
COMESA looks forward to cementing ties with China
17-Mar-2005 Xinhua
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretary General Erastus Mwencha said his organization is looking forward to strengthening its relations with China, particularly in the area of trade and investment. He declined to elaborate on details of the trade agreement, but implied that it will be something like the Economic Partnership Agreement being negotiated by COMESA with the European Union or the Africa Growth Opportunity Act of the United States.
UAE and Australia begin talks on FTA
17-Mar-2005 Gulf News
The UAE and Australia are about to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement, officials said at a press conference yesterday.
Bush taps congressman as US Trade Representative
17-Mar-2005 LA Times
Faced with tough political battles over a controversial trade pact with Central America and rising imports from China, President Bush announced today that he had enlisted a congressional insider and loyal supporter to be his new trade chief.
Mexico, EU to deepen FTA in services, farm, investment
16-Mar-2005
Mexico and the European Commission are evaluating proposals to deepen their free trade agreement in the areas of services, investment, and agriculture.
Guatemalan groups vow to continue protests against FTA
16-Mar-2005 Xinhua
Guatemalan grassroots organizations said on Tuesday that they will not give up protests against the Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA), ratified last week by the parliament.
Updates on developments in the Pacific
16-Mar-2005 Scoop
Governments within the Asia/Pacific region that are rabid free traders have embarked on a rescue mission for the WTO and APEC through regional and bilateral agreements that are also designed to be WTO-plus.
Free trade proposal splits Bolivian city
15-Mar-2005 New York Times
Under the Andean pact, dozens of Bolivian products enter the United States duty-free. That pact expires at the end of 2006. The United States now wants Bolivia to agree to a quite different kind of deal, one that would open exporters like furniture and leather-goods makers to American investment. It would also fly in the face of efforts by the Bolivian left to enact a stringent law that would expand state control over the oil and gas industry.
China human rights not FTA issue: Downer
14-Mar-2005 The Age
Australia should not try to raise human rights issues with China if formal talks about a free trade agreement begin, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says. "You won’t get the free trade agreement and you won’t get any improvements in human rights."
Howard eyes Chinese free trade deal
14-Mar-2005 ABC
Prime Minister John Howard says there is a good chance Australia will begin negotiating with China on a free trade deal. China is Australia’s third largest trading partner and the Government says if an agreement is signed it could be worth tens of billions of dollars to the Australian economy.
Thailand: Govt pushes ahead with EFTA trade liberalization talks
13-Mar-2005 TNA
The Thai Ministry of Commerce is pressing ahead with plans to establish a free trade area (FTA) with Europe, amid hopes that it could boost trade by more than 15 percent each year.
Oman expects FTA with US by year end
13-Mar-2005 Daily Times
The Sultanate of Oman has expressed hope that the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the USA, for which negotiations are to start on Saturday, would be concluded before the end of this year to give a new edge to Oman’s liberal economy in an era of globlisation.
Asia embraces free-trade links
13-Mar-2005 IHT
Malaysia is joining a long and growing list of Pacific nations rushing to sign free-trade agreements with their biggest trading partners.
Singapore, UAE ink economic cooperation pact, eye FTA
12-Mar-2005 Kyodo
Singapore and the United Arab Emirates signed Friday an economic, trade and technical cooperation pact that could lead to the launch of negotiations for a free trade deal between the two countries, Singapore’s Trade and Industry Ministry said Friday.
Free trade deal highlights clash over service sector
12-Mar-2005
New Zealand’s free trade agreement with Thailand, which is due to come into effect on July 1, has no commitments to liberalize trade in services. It only requires the parties to begin negotiations within three years.
Guatemala ratifies free trade pact with United States
10-Mar-2005 San Diego Union Tribune
Shrugging off rowdy protests in the streets, Guatemala’s Congress voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to ratify a Central American free trade agreement with the United States.
Summary of events of 9 March against the DR-CAFTA in Guatemala
10-Mar-2005 IMC Chiapas
This morning, rural Guatemala spilled more farmers into the streets of the capital for the third day in a row, trying to block the Congress from ratifying the Free Trade Agreement with the United States. Last week 6,000 people protested in the same location for the same reason. More protests are expected.