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Taiwan president urges US to consider free trade pact
30-May-2006 CNA
President Chen Shui-bian urged the US government Friday to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan, saying that an FTA would allow US agriculture and automobile exports to Taiwan to grow by 100 per cent.
S Korean activists promise peaceful protests against US FTA
30-May-2006 Yonhap
South Korean activists have pledged to hold peaceful protests against a proposed South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) in Washington early next month. "We want to explain to American citizens why we oppose the FTA with the US."
Fiji seeks bilateral deals with Asian countries
29-May-2006 Radio New Zealand
Fiji is set to negotiate new bilateral economic partnership agreements with India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Bilateral, regional trade agreements on APEC agenda
29-May-2006 Thanh Nien News
The ongoing APEC senior official meeting (SOM II) will discuss Sunday existing and new policies for regional trading agreements and free trade agreements (RTA/FTA), reports from the APEC secretariat said.
China urges Korea to conclude free trade agreement
29-May-2006 Korea Herald
Beijing wants an FTA with Korea to alleviate its chronic trade deficit with its neighbor. Seoul is more reserved on the issue, since it could cause a surge in cheap agricultural produce and light industry goods.
FTA ’followed in letter and spirit’
29-May-2006 Gulf Daily News
The US government has confirmed that Bahrain is no longer part of an Arab boycott of Israeli products in line with its commitment to the bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Officials head to South America to initiate FTA talks
27-May-2006 Taipei Times
The first round of Taiwan’s free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with El Salvador and Honduras is expected to take place from Monday to Wednesday in Central America, officials with the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Thursday.
Tensions stall Japan/South Korea FTA
27-May-2006 Stuff.co.nz
Negotiations for a free trade pact between South Korea and Japan have been deadlocked for more than a year partly due to differences over how the two sides view their history, South Korea’s commerce minister said on Friday.
Australia at your service, but China still cagey
27-May-2006 The Age
After a year of skirmishing, Australia’s free trade discussions with China are taking shape, with China agreeing in principle to include the sensitive areas of government procurement and investment in any agreement.
Hyosung head calls for corporate-led FTA
27-May-2006 Korea Times
Business leaders in South Korea and Japan need to play an active role in achieving a free trade agreement between the two countries, a Korean conglomerate owner said Thursday.
Rice remains biggest hurdle to trade pact in Korea talks
26-May-2006 Bangkok Post
Thailand has reaffirmed that it did not sign the Asean-South Korean free trade agreement on goods because of rice. South Korea insisted on excluding rice under its sensitive list, but Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporter, demanded that it open up its local market.
US ’better free trade partner than Japan, China’
26-May-2006 Chosun Ilbo
The US is a much better free-trade partner for Korea than China or Japan, where issues of race and historical animosities would make an agreement difficult, Korea’s chief negotiator in free-trade talks with the US said Thursday.
Ecuador: Government gears up for Oxy fallout
26-May-2006 IPS
Showing the door to Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) and scuttling US free trade negotiations have long been agenda priorities for Ecuadorian social movements and political sectors. But following government steps that have all but made these goals a reality, the atmosphere seems more anxious than celebratory.
S Korea says differences over free trade with US
25-May-2006 Reuters
The first draft statements of a free trade agreement exchanged by South Korea and the United States show "considerable differences" between the two sides, an agriculture ministry official said.
SC has no jurisdiction over treaties, says Sol-Gen
25-May-2006 PDI
The Supreme Court of the Philippines has no jurisdiction to issue a ruling on a petition filed by party-list group Akbayan seeking to stop the government from signing a bilateral trade pact with Japan without a full disclosure of its provisions to the public.
US envoy to Japan calls for economic treaty
25-May-2006 FT
Washington’s ambassador to Japan on Wednesday added his voice to those calling for closer economic integration between the world’s two biggest economies, though he stopped short of formally proposing talks aimed at the conclusion of a bilateral trade agreement.
US labor groups to join forces in anti-FTA rallies
25-May-2006 Korea Herald
US labor groups will join forces with Korean counterparts for rallies in Washington early June against a proposed free trade agreement, the KCTU said yesterday.
The treatment of geographical indications in recent regional and bilateral FTAs
25-May-2006
The objective of this paper is to analyze what has been the treatment of GIs in the new generation of regional trade agreement as well as the content of the new standards being set.
Court asked to throw out FTA with Australia
25-May-2006 Bangkok Post
FTA opponents yesterday asked the Constitution Court to annul the Thai Australian Free Trade Area agreement (Tafta) on the ground that the Thaksin government entered into it unconstitutionally two years ago.
Singapore-Pak FTA by year-end
25-May-2006 Sify
Singapore and Pakistan will sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) before the end of this year, Federal Minister of Commerce, Himayun Akhtar Khan has said.