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IBSA experiment will benefit all the members, says Singh
14-Sep-2006
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday spoke strongly in favour of the newly emerging trilateral co-operation between India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA), saying all three countries stand to benefit from it in working for their energy security, creating synergies in trade and technology and in enhanced transport connectivity.
Time for IBSA to shine in world trade, says Mbeki
14-Sep-2006
President Thabo Mbeki says IBSA’s (India-Brazil-South Africa’s) time has arrived to make a mark on world trade. He was addressing the IBSA summit in Brazil and called on developing nations to form strong partnerships and strategic alliances in the wake of the recent collapse of the Doha round of trade talks.
Top S.K. trade negotiator sees deal by March
14-Sep-2006
South Korea’s top trade negotiator Kim Jong-hoon said that there should be a "tangible" agreement by March next year in the ongoing trade negotiations with the United States.
Beijing condemns protectionism
14-Sep-2006
China has voiced its concern over increasing trade protectionism by its counterparts, which it sees as the main threat to its competitiveness in the world market.
The ’free trade’ explosion
14-Sep-2006 India Together
With the World Trade talks in limbo, the focus remains on aggressively pushing on the bilateral front. What could not be achieved through a multilateral trade regime, is now being pursued by the US through bilateral and regional deals. Devinder Sharma connects the dots.
Japan to prepare safeguard against imports from Philippines
14-Sep-2006 Mainichi
Japan’s Ministry of Finance said Wednesday that it plans to amend customs-related laws and ordinances to enable Japan to invoke emergency restrictions on imports from the Philippines.
Labor leader explains anti-FTA stance
14-Sep-2006 Donga
Interview with the president of AFL-CIO, John Sweeney, on the US-Korea FTA.
Joint declaration of first IBSA Summit
14-Sep-2006 PIB
The Prime Minister of India, H.E. Manmohan Singh, the President of Brazil, H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the President of South Africa, H.E. Thabo Mbeki, expressed their full support and commitment to the expeditious establishment of the Working Group to focus on the modalities for the envisaged India-Mercosur-SACU Trilateral Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA).
KMU sees more retrenchment with new RP-Japan trade pact
14-Sep-2006 INQ7
The militant Filipino labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said it fears more retrenchments and lower wages with the impending liberalization of the country’s automotive and steel sectors under the recently signed Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
Fiction and fact: an IBSA pact
13-Sep-2006
IBSA will be a powerful bloc in south-south cooperation with echoes of ‘non-alignment’ in earlier times but from the economic point of view, IBSA is a little fictitious” was Union minister of state for commerce Jairam Ramesh’s reported take on this regional formation that includes India-Brazil-South Africa just ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Brazil and Cuba to attend an IBSA and NAM summit.
U.S. presses Korea to improve ag offer in trade talks
13-Sep-2006
South Korea needs to make a much better offer to open up its agricultural sector to U.S. imports in talks aimed at reaching a free trade agreement by the end of the year, a U.S. trade official said on Monday.
Political leadership needed to iron out differences in FTA
13-Sep-2006
The third round of Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) talks in Seattle ended Sunday without producing any practical progress on core issues. While the negotiation result is disappointing, it is not totally unexpected, given the inhospitable conditions of the negotiations.
More FTAs and shift from traditional markets to help Singapore tap Middle East money
13-Sep-2006
Singapore asset managers have not been more actively seeking opportunities in the Middle-East because the market is still relatively new.
Organizations release monitoring report assessing impact of CAFTA ’free’ trade agreement
13-Sep-2006
Members of Congress, solidarity organizations, leaders of the DC-area Salvadoran community, and student and faith-based groups held a press conference to announce the release of a report monitoring the effects of the US-Dominican Republic Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).
Rann wants China FTA on COAG agenda
13-Sep-2006
The South Australian Government is pushing for debate on the proposed China free trade agreement at the next premiers’ meeting, worried the deal could hurt Australia’s manufacturing sector.
Private sector urged to speak up
13-Sep-2006
A national call has gone out to the Barbados private sector, asking it to speak out as free trade negotiations between the region and the European Union (EU) near the final phase.
Philippine FTA to reshape health care
13-Sep-2006
The free-trade agreement clinched with the Philippines on Saturday will test whether Japan is serious about opening its labor market, a change that would trade homogeneity for a more youthful workforce.
Japan-Philippines FTA (JPEPA) (2006)
13-Sep-2006
Asean wants 600 items in free trade negative list
13-Sep-2006 Economic Times
Asean has come up with a composite negative list of 600 products for the proposed Indo-Asean free trade agreement.
Farmers losing out in free trade mart
13-Sep-2006 New Straits Times
Foreign food products are making their way into the country under the Free Trade Agreements and market liberalisation, while Malaysian products are struggling to penetrate foreign markets.