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The Belt and Road Initiative: A new road or a dead-end for peoples’ development?
What does the BRI mean from the perspective of the development of peoples in the global South?
Pak-Turkey SEF Plan of Action: Pakistan wants to settle FTA by June 2019
Pakistan is seeking to conclude Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Turkey by June 2019 that offers the lowest tariff on all tariff lines extended by Turkey to its other trading partners.
Comm Min asks independent agencies to hold industry specific consultations on RCEP
The Indian commerce ministry has asked the three agencies, which have been tasked to prepare a report on proposed mega trade agreement RCEP, to get into greater details of issues involved in the pact and hold industry specific consultations
Experts warn: As G-20 tariffs drop, carbon emissions skyrocket
Tariff reductions by G-20 countries will sharply increase global carbon dioxide emissions. The lowering of tariffs through trade agreements has facilitated this offshoring of emissions.
Summary comments to the proposals for amendment of the ICSID arbitration rules
The proposed amendments signal an effort to improve the procedural rules governing ICSID arbitration, but fail to appropriately address many concerns expressed and fall short of promoting meaningful reform of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS).
The African single market takes a step forward as the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement becomes a reality
As a second step, negotiators will focus on rules pertaining to intellectual property rights, competition policy and investment, which they aim to finalise by June 2020.
France to vote no to trade talks between US and Europe
France will vote against the start of trade talks between the European Union and the United States, the French presidency has said, despite EU members agreeing in principle to begin the discussions.
Bangladesh keen to sign FTA with South American trade bloc to promote export
Bangladesh has expressed it interest to sign FTA with South American trade bloc Mercosur at an early date to tap the under-exploited South American market.
Head of Montenegro’s troubled Atlas Banka sues president, central bank governor
Atlas Group is seeking payment of €500mn in damages from Montenegro at an international court.
Government concealed failure to cancel the old, worse version of ISDS in new Indonesia trade deal
Detailed scrutiny of the text of the recent Indonesia trade deal has revealed that there are no provisions to cancel the old 1993 Indonesia-Australia bilateral investment agreement.
MTS files USD 1.5 bln claim against Turkmenistan govt with ICSID
Russian and the CIS mobile operator MTS has announced that it has filed its statement of claim in the dispute with the state of Turkmenistan at the World Bank’s ICSID.
ICSID tribunal rejects EVN claims for further compensation from Bulgaria
EVN and Bulgaria reached an out-of-court settlement, under which part of the claims regarding the remuneration obligations for renewable energy were offset between a Bulgarian EVN subsidiary and the Bulgarian state-owned National Electricity Company.
Eurasian Economic Union not ready to fully abolish trade restrictions with China - Official
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) member states are not ready to create a free-trade area (FTA) with China.
China, EU aim to conclude comprehensive investment agreement in 2020
China and the European Union (EU) aim to conclude a comprehensive bilateral investment agreement in 2020.
Quantifying the policy space for regulating capital flows in trade and investment treaties
The international trade and investment treaty regime is increasingly restricting the policy space for regulating cross-border financial flows, study finds.
A confident opinion, a looming decision
Many countries have become wary of the system and are restructuring or terminating their investment agreements. This is the ambience in which the Court of Justice will decide whether the CETA is compatible with EU law.
Trump promised a new trade policy. But his new NAFTA might be worse than the old one
The intensifying debate over the renegotiated NAFTA that President Trump is seeking to rebrand as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) suggests that the president’s trade policy is not so different from those of his predecessors.
US wants more from Japan than under TPP
US wants bigger compromise from Japan on tariffs for American farm goods than the two countries had agreed on for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Maldives ruling party pledges probe into Chinese deals after landslide win
Maldives former president Mohamed Nasheed, whose party won a landslide in the archipelago’s parliamentary election, on Tuesday pledged to conduct a thorough probe into deals with China.
Indonesia, Malaysia send letter protesting EU palm oil curbs
The leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia sent a letter of objection to the European Union criticizing its decision to no longer consider palm oil as a green fuel and threatening the bloc’s ties with the countries.