bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles


Free trade pact expected in Kathmandu meet
The tenth meeting of the BIMSTEC Trade Negotiation Committee (TNC) began here in the capital today.
A strong sub-regional grouping in the making
As a new sub-regional group, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is making its presence felt in this part of the world.
Rice gets in way of FTA deal
Thailand said it had refused to sign a trade agreement between South Korea and ASEAN, insisting that rice be included on the list of goods facing tariff cuts.
Canada-China Investment Protection Agreement - A significant stepping stone to deeper economic co-operation
The pieces of the Canada-China economic puzzle are starting to come together and the picture that emerges reveals a slowly developing but inevitably closer economic relationship between these two economies.v
Pakistan: FTAs with 4 states likely in 2005-06
China, Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey have agreed to separately sign Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with Pakistan preferably during the current fiscal year.
Japan pushes for trade accord with GCC states
Japanese Ambassador to Bahrain, Takao Natsume, said his government has proposed an FTA to GCC governments but has yet to schedule the beginning of negotiations. "The main stumbling blocks with previous free trade agreements we have been involved in were in the area of agriculture and since the GCC countries are not huge agriculture producers, we don’t see this as a problem here," he said.
Govt proposes to begin talks with GCC on FTA
The Indian government proposes to initiate negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA), Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Egypt and Turkey to sign free trade agreement
Egyptian Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry, Rasheed Mohammed Rasheed, said a free trade agreement will be signed by Egypt and Turkey during next week’s visit of Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to Cairo.
Legislature ratifies Taiwan-Guatemala free trade agreement
The Legislative Yuan on Tuesday ratified the Taiwan-Guatemala free trade agreement (FTA), which will now take effect Jan. 1, 2006 as scheduled.
Chine, Thailand to wipe out trade obstables
Thailand and China have begun a joint meeting in the former’s northern city of Chiang Rai to strengthen ties and wipe out trade obstacles, hoping to increase bilateral trade under the free trade area (FTA) framework.
EU-AGCC FTA to be signed next year
A free trade agreement (FTA) between the EU and the AGCC, the first region to region trade agreement outside Europe, will not be concluded by the end of this year as originally scheduled, according to a high-ranking EU official.
US ratifies DR not on board for DR-CAFTA in January
The United States ratified implementation of the Free Trade Agreement as of January 1st, 2006 with the sole inclusion of El Salvador and Honduras, since these were the only countries that met all requirements by the set deadline.
BIMSTEC trade negotiation to begin today
Trade officials from seven South and Southeast Asian countries are convening in the capital from Wednesday for the 10th BIMSTEC Trade Negotiation Committee (TNC) meeting to finalize a free trade accord on trade in goods.
EU regrets postponing free trade accord with GCC - European official
European Commissioner for Justice Franco Fratini expressed on Tuesday regret because the GCC Summit postponed yesterday signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the EU, calling on Gulf states to advance cooperation with the EU.
Legislature ratifies Guatemalan FTA
The Legislative Yuan yesterday ratified the ROC-Guatemala free trade agreement (FTA), which will take effect this Jan. 1 as scheduled.
Improbable DR enters CAFTA in January
US Ambassador Hans Hertell affirmed yesterday that there is a good possibility that the Dominican Republic be impeded to integrate this upcoming January onto the Free Trade Agreement known as DR-CAFTA, given that the voluminous documentation that authorities recently sent to the United States is currently under review.
Korea, EFTA ink free trade deal
South Korea’s trade minister and his counterparts from the European Free Trade Association, or EFTA, signed a free trade agreement yesterday at the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Hong Kong.
SAFTA to come into effect from new year
South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) will come into effect from January one next, Lok Sabha was informed today.
Avoid marginalization by China, analysts urge
While it’s too early to judge the prospects for the "pan-Asian" free trade community mentioned in the inaugural East Asia Summit (EAS), Taiwan, which has been excluded from participating, should devise a strategy to avoid being marginalized before it’s too late, analysts said.
Some Asian nations eye free trade pact
A free trade pact between seven South and Southeast Asia nations was likely to be in place by July 2006, Bangladesh’s foreign minister said Monday after a meeting of a regional economic forum.