bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

Making the right to regulate in investment law and policy work for development: Reflections from the South African and Brazilian experiences
16-Aug-2018 IISD
Despite challenges, the experiences of South Africa and Brazil demonstrate that there is room for genuine reimagination of the investment regime, where the interests of investors are matched with the development concerns of host countries.
Losing the Pacific: The futility of re-joining TPP
16-Aug-2018 Diplomatic Courier
Amid rising tensions in the US-China bilateral relationship and increasing fears of a now-realized trade war, President Donald Trump announced that he would consider rejoining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Oil firms use secretive court hearing in bid to stop Vietnam taxing their profits
16-Aug-2018 The Guardian
ConocoPhillips and Perenco try to stop £140m levy from sale of oilfields in key case for tax avoidance by multinationals.
Chicken woman has a lesson on fowl play for SA
16-Aug-2018 IOL
The EU threatens now and again to force Cameroon to open its markets, given its status as a signatory to the Economic Partnership Agreement.
Mexico unsure if it will finish NAFTA talks with US in August
16-Aug-2018 Reuters
Mexico’s economy minister said that Mexico and the United States may not meet an August goal to finish bilateral talks to revamp the NAFTA trade deal, which is beset by disagreements over automobile trade rules and other issues.
Japan and Peru agree to seek early implementation of TPP
16-Aug-2018 Reuters
Japan has already completed its domestic procedures to ratify the pact and Peru is in the midst of its own ratification process.
Mauritius - China FTA - Third round of negotiations underway
15-Aug-2018 All Africa
The FTA is expected to be finalised by the end of August this year. It will be signed in Beijing in September 2018.
Mauritius and Africa must avoid Chinese debt-trap
14-Aug-2018 New Dehli Times
Mauritius is the first African country that launched the FTA negotiations with China; MoU over the Belt and Road Initiatives is under negotiation.
Select committee urged to stop the spread of ISDS under CPTPP
14-Aug-2018 Voxy
A range of labour, health and environmental organisations are calling for a clause to be inserted into the CPTPP Amendment Bill that would prevent future governments from extending investor-state dispute settlement to countries seeking to join the agreement.
Should Buhari sign the African Continental Free Trade deal?
14-Aug-2018 Punch
Six analyses from economists and stakeholders.
BBVA starts arbitrations procedures with the ICSID on the exit from its Bolivian Pension Fund Administrator
14-Aug-2018 BBVA
BBVA has requested arbitration under the investment agreement between Spain and Bolivia with respect to the transfer of BBVA Previsión AFP (Pension Fund Administrator) to the Government of Bolivia.
RCEP trade ministers to meet on Aug 30-31 in Singapore
13-Aug-2018 The Hindu
The meeting is important as the 16-member bloc now needs specific political guidance to move the negotiations further.
Japan, US to meet again on trade in September: Japan economy minister
13-Aug-2018 Reuters
Motegi and Lighthizer exchanged views on individual trade areas but nothing has been decided.
The Gambia signs the region-to-region Economic Partnership Agreement between West Africa and the EU
13-Aug-2018 European Commission
The Gambia became the 14th West African country to have signed the region-to-region Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the EU.
Malaysia urged to withdraw gracefully from bad trade deal
13-Aug-2018 The Star
With negligible real trade gains from the original TPP, the US withdrawal has made benefits from the regional agreement even more trivial.
Japan sticks to TPP, US seeks bilateral deal in 1st trade talks
10-Aug-2018 The Mainichi
Motegi told Lighthizer that Japan believes the TPP — an 11-member regional trade pact from which the United States withdrew last year — is the best trade deal for the two countries.
Costs and benefits of investment treaties
10-Aug-2018 CCSI
As states look back over decades of treaty practice, the expected benefits have not clearly materialized, whereas the costs have been unexpectedly high.
EU-Canada (CETA) - Revised draft decisions on the appellate tribunal, the code of conduct and the rules for mediation for the implementation of the Investment Court System (EU proposal, July 2018)
10-Aug-2018
EU-Africa free trade will create more imbalances, say critics
9-Aug-2018 Deutsch Welle
Germany’s development minister has sparked a debate by calling for EU tariffs to be waived on African goods. Critics question whether import duties are really the issue, or are there other barriers to trade?
US and EU begin laying the groundwork for a trade agreement
9-Aug-2018 CNBC
The US State Department instructs EU embassies to source trade deliverables. The EU delegation is planning a late-August trip to Washington.