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An FTA story for children
31-Jul-2006
Hello, my young friends! I want to share with you a strange math equation that I found. It attempts to tell you what the sum is after such and such numbers are added up. Or, it tries to tell you the average of all these numbers combined. For example, it tells what GDP is, what the whole trade volume is, what per capita income is. Confusing? Well, I am not so good at numbers, so I also didn’t let the equation bother me very much, either. It was perhaps because I wasn’t that much interested in economics, after all.
A Korea-U.S. trade agreement: what is at stake?
31-Jul-2006 The Hankyoreh
This examines macro-economic issues, intellectual property and patent protections, the potential impact on pharmaceuticals, and other issues at stake in the U.S.-Korea FTA.
Has Mercosur gone bananas?
31-Jul-2006
While the world was focused on the tragic events taking place in Lebanon and northern Israel, something very disturbing happened in South America last week. The trading bloc known as Mercosur (the South American common market), at its summit meeting in the Argentine city of Cordoba, formally supported Venezuela’s bid for one of the two Latin American seats on the United Nations Security Council.
Canada: The Occidental Tourist - Expropriation Claim Tests BIT Efficacy
31-Jul-2006
The outcome of Occidental Petroleum’s latest dispute with Ecuador will be an important test of the effectiveness of BITs in protecting overseas investor rights in volatile political climates.
HM issues orders to begin implementation of FTA
31-Jul-2006
HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on Friday, gave his royal orders to begin implementing the Bahrain US FTA as from August 1, 2006.
Expert: Keep Delaying CAFTA for DR
31-Jul-2006
Fernando Alvarez Bogaert, former Finances minister, said Friday that the validity of the Central American-Dominican Republic-US Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), put off for this month, could wreck national production if enacted.
WTO collapse set to fuel Asia’s "noodle bowl" effect
31-Jul-2006
The breakdown of the WTO talks has dealt a blow to the trade prospects of Asia’s open economies and is likely to encourage a growing "noodle bowl" of bilateral pacts, analysts said.
Driving benefit from SAFTA
31-Jul-2006
The (SAFTA) South Asian Free Trade Agreement has been implemented from July 1, 2006, which is operating under the framework of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Chinese Flower Power Hits Thai Growers
31-Jul-2006
On the misty hill slopes of northern Thailand the chill in the air encourages roses to grow to a size larger than apples. Hundreds of these large blooms, in colours ranging from red and crimson to orange and white, are harvested daily to feed the flower markets of Bangkok.
Japan to focus on FTAs after collapse of WTO Talks
31-Jul-2006
Japan is expected to focus its trade policy more on bilateral free trade agreements after the World Trade Organization’s Doha round of global trade liberalization talks has effectively collapsed.
Vannessa Arbitration Update
31-Jul-2006
Vannessa Ventures Ltd. (the "Company") has an arbitral claim being heard in accordance with the rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington, D.C. where Vannessa is requesting remedies under the Bilateral Investment Treaty between Venezuela and Canada.
Zim defiant on Bippas
31-Jul-2006
Zimbabwe is not going to change its stance on Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (Bippas) that were violated under the country’s controversial land reform programme, a position that could further strain diplomatic relations with affected nations.
Uncle Sam faces a world trade backlash
31-Jul-2006
America may blame the rest of the world for the breakdown of the world trade talks, but the rest of the world blames America. In fact, for emerging economies, the collapse is another reason to hate Uncle Sam - a dislike that could have deep ramifications for US Inc.
The legacy of Doha: spaghetti bowl trade
31-Jul-2006
IN the end Doha died not with a bang but a whimper, with media coverage of its collapse being squeezed off the front pages by the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
Decks for FTA with SACU cleared
31-Jul-2006
The Cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal for a framework agreement aimed at promoting expansion of trade and providing a mechanism to negotiate a Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), within a reasonable time, for cooperation between India and the South Africa Customs Union (SACU).
Bilateral deals ’mock’ Doha
31-Jul-2006
The Doha round of world trade talks may have collapsed in Geneva last week — denying the world’s developing countries their promised access to global markets — but leading trade expert Jagdish Bhagwati remains optimistic about the cause of multilateral trade liberalisation.
Steel boss sounds alarm on China FTA
31-Jul-2006
The head of Australia’s biggest steel maker, BlueScope Steel, has questioned the value of a free-trade deal with China and urged the Federal Government to even up tariffs on steel traded between the countries.
India says ASEAN-India free trade talks not dead
31-Jul-2006
Trade talks between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are very much alive, despite reports that they they have been suspended, an Indian minister said Thursday.
PR firm hired to push FTA
31-Jul-2006
Taiwan has hired a US public relations firm to push the US to sign a free-trade agreement with Taipei, a Taiwanese radio network reported yesterday.
Expert panel wants India, Japan economic pact to get cracking
30-Jul-2006 Financial Express
A joint study group, which was set up during the Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s visit to India in 2005, has given the green signal for having a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Japan.