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SPS issues and free trade agreements
25-Nov-2004
While the main US goal on agriculture in many FTA negotiations often is to secure non-SPS related concessions such as lower tariffs, the foreign partners often see the FTA as an opportunity to resolve outstanding SPS issues with the US as well as seek accelerated new market access to the US for their animal and plant products.
India, SACU gearing up for FTA
24-Nov-2004 Financial Express
India and members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) hope to have a “limited scope agreement” for more liberal trading by next year, the first concrete step towards a free trade agreement (FTA).
Seoul to start FTA talks with ASEAN in 2005
24-Nov-2004 Korea Times
South Korea will start negotiations next year for a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
SA near to clinching another trade deal
24-Nov-2004 AllAfrica.com
SACU’s deal with Efta will be a scaled-down version of the original: Efta members have agreed to Sacu’s request to shelve complex issues such as government procurement, intellectual property and investment.
Driving a hard bargain: Trade agreements easier said than done
24-Nov-2004 Asahi
Japan is proving a tough negotiator for countries with their hopes pinned on FTAs.
Agriculture: Thais urged to reject political parties which support bilateral FTAs and GM crops
24-Nov-2004 MCOT
Thailand’s leading agricultural activist network has urged Thais not to vote for political parties which back free trade agreements and genetically modified (GM) crops research at next February’s general election.
Drop FTA with US, GCC tells Bahrain
24-Nov-2004 Khaleej Times
Gulf Arab states angered by Bahrain’s decision to sign up to a free trade pact with the United States say it should back away from the deal and honour a regional agreement.
Bush plan that critics call ’NAFTA on steroids’ stalls
22-Nov-2004 LA Times
President Bush’s goal for a free-trade zone encompassing the entire Western Hemisphere faces growing opposition in the United States and abroad.
Joint study on the FTA between China & New Zealand
22-Nov-2004 MFAT
New Zealand government has released the report of a joint study on the to-be-negotiated NZ-China FTA.
APEC leaders duck free-trade plan
22-Nov-2004 Channel News Asia
Asia-Pacific leaders have ducked a call from business advisors to study an ambitious FTA among APEC members.
Japan, Philippines reach FTA accord
20-Nov-2004 Japan Times
Japan and the Philippines reached a basic agreement for a bilateral free-trade agreement after striking a deal on the stickiest issue — steel tariffs.
China, Chile decide to start FTA talks
20-Nov-2004 Xinhua
China and Chile have decided to start talks on a free trade agreement (FTA)
Dominican Republic excluded from CAFTA
19-Nov-2004 DTN
The Bush administration has decided to exclude the Dominican Republic from the Central American Free Trade Agreement because the Dominican Republic has adopted a tax on products containing high fructose corn syrup, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley said.
Go the whole hog on regional trade pacts, says Kamal Nath
18-Nov-2004
Commerce and industry minister Kamal Nath said at the economic editors’ conference here on Wednesday, that bilateral trade agreements will serve as engines for international trade.
The first victim of the free trade agreement
18-Nov-2004 The Isthmian
He was a Panamanian who lived of what the land gave him. His name? Sabino Rivera. What happened? Death took him when a bomb, abandoned by the United States in Panama, blew him to pieces.
Milking Thailand: The Thai-Australia Free Trade Agreement
18-Nov-2004 Focus on the Global South
In Thailand, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) debates were heated. Farmers and critics claim that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s government sold out small farmers to their own big business interests. They took to the streets in protest while Thaksin lambasted them and obscured negotiation details.
Senate debate begins on Thai FTA deal
18-Nov-2004
Debate has begun in the Senate on laws enabling the Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement to take effect from next year.
FTA to create opportunities: Zoellick
18-Nov-2004
The free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia and the United States would create real economic opportunities in both countries for businesses, farmers, and workers, US trade representative Robert Zoellick said.
New World Bank study on regional and bilateral trade agreements
18-Nov-2004 WB
This report addresses two questions: What are the characteristics of agreements that strongly promote-or hinder-development for member countries? Does the proliferation of agreements pose risks to the multilateral trading system, and how can those risks be managed?
Viet Nam eyes more FTA involvement
17-Nov-2004 VNS
Viet Nam will start its first round of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Japan and South Korea next year, as well as prepare for negotiations with Australia and New Zealand in the near future, said a Ministry of Trade official on Monday.