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Xinjiang forced labour concerns threaten to derail China’s investment deal with EU
21-Dec-2020 South China Morning Post
Officials say European Parliament could refuse to endorse deal over Beijing’s failure to commit to International Labour Organisation standards
Fifth TIFA council meeting held
21-Dec-2020 The Himalayan Times
The United States affirmed its engagement with Nepal on its efforts to foster innovation and investment through improvements in intellectual property protection and enforcement.
EU-UK trade talks floundering over fish as cutoff day nears
21-Dec-2020 AP
With yet another Brexit deadline disappearing in the rearview mirror, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for the European Union and Britain.
IK-CEPA paves the way for Indonesia-South Korea’s $9.1b battery project
21-Dec-2020 Jakarta Globe
Indonesia’s and South Korea’s $9.1 billion electric car battery joint venture project has gotten a boost after the two countries signed a comprehensive investment and trade deal.
With eye on China, Japan refuses to ease TPP rules for new members
21-Dec-2020 Nikkei Asia
TPP-11 has suddenly turned into something of an exclusive club that nations are clamoring to get in. But next year’s chair of the trade pact, Japan, will be the gatekeeper upholding the strictest standards.
RCEP: an unjust deal and added burden in the time of a pandemic
21-Dec-2020 Socialist Project
RCEP will only deepen inequalities that already exist and were exacerbated further by the pandemic. It will further undermine the livelihoods of farmers, fishers, indigenous peoples and rural women, and threaten jobs for workers.
Chinese investors file arbitration case against Ukraine over Motor Sich investment
18-Dec-2020 Radio Free Liberty
Chinese investors have brought a $3.5 billion arbitration case against Ukraine for blocking the sale of a strategic aircraft engine maker whose fate Washington is closely following.
Clive Palmer could seek ’unquantifiable’ commonwealth compensation under Singapore free trade deal
18-Dec-2020 The Guardian
Australian taxpayers could be on the hook for compensation following a dispute between the Western Australian government and Clive Palmer’s Mineralogy, federal budget papers reveal.
S. Korea inks free trade pact with Indonesia
18-Dec-2020 Korea Herald
South Korea formally inked a comprehensive trade deal with Indonesia, paving the way for local exporters to penetrate deeper into the Southeast Asian market.
Egypt, Eurasian Economic Union discuss free trade agreement
18-Dec-2020 MENAFN
Officials met as part of preparations for the fourth round of negotiations between Egypt and the EAEU on free trade agreement, which is scheduled to be held in the first quarter of 2021.
EU agrees ‘in principle’ to an investment agreement with China
18-Dec-2020 South China Morning Post
The European Commission has secured breakthroughs as China agrees to open up its market in multiple sectors for EU businesses.
Canada trade deal shows Government’s breathtaking arrogance
17-Dec-2020 The Irish Times
Important issues raised by CETA deserve more than a ludicrous 55-minute parliament debate.
UK and US in talks over mini trade deal
17-Dec-2020 BBC
The outgoing US administration is in talks with the UK to try to seal a mini-deal to reduce trade tariffs, Donald Trump’s trade chief has said.
EU-China comprehensive agreement on investment: A scoping study
16-Dec-2020 Heinrich Böll Foundation
Given China’s unique position, the study concludes that the EU must ensure that particularly strong protections for EU regulatory policy space are included in any future investment deal.
Biden’s top trade official should work to protect governments from the rising number of corporate lawsuits
16-Dec-2020 Inequality.org
In 2020, foreign investors filed at least 51 known cases demanding huge sums from governments struggling to fight a historic pandemic.
Peru has become Chinese firms’ preferred investment destination in LatAm
16-Dec-2020 Andina
The ten-year old FTA between China and Peru is one of the agreements with the highest level of liberalization of goods trade that China has signed.
EU will be asked to ratify Mercosur deal in New Year
16-Dec-2020 Irish Examiner
At least nine EU countries want the trade deal with South America.
Energy Charter Treaty reform reaches milestone, with little progress to show
16-Dec-2020 Euractiv
A two-day conference of the 54 parties to the Energy Charter Treaty will attempt to move forward in reforming the little-known charter, decried by environmentalists for protecting fossil fuel investments and blocking international efforts to curb global warming.
UK signs continuity trade deal with Mexico, keeps EU benefits
16-Dec-2020 Bloomberg
The UK signed a continuity trade deal with Mexico, its 31st-largest trading partner, preserving the benefits of the accord it had with the country through European Union membership.
Busting myths around the Energy Charter Treaty
15-Dec-2020 TNI
Amidst growing concerns that the ECT undermines urgent climate action, its corporate profiteers, the ECT Secretariat, and others are spewing propaganda, promoting falsehoods about how the treaty attracts clean investment.