bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

All articles

CAFTA reflects Democrats’ shift from trade bills
7-Jul-2005 Washington Post
Twelve years ago, amid heated rhetoric over job losses and heavy union pressure, the House passed the North American Free Trade Agreement with 102 Democratic votes. This month, as President Bush pushes the far less economically significant Central American Free Trade Agreement, he will be lucky to get more than 10.
Indonesia, Japan to negotiate on EPA
7-Jul-2005 Xinhua
Indonesia and Japan will begin negotiation of Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) on July 14 in Jakarta.
Walking tall
7-Jul-2005 Business Today
By tying a free-trade agreement to the outcome of Egypt’s ongoing political reform campaign, Washington is ramping up the pressure. Can the Nazif Government set up an infrastructure that will make strong business ties indispensable regardless of the political atmosphere?
What does India-Singapore agreement hold in store?
6-Jul-2005 Economic Times
The India-Singapore CECA which will be effective from August 1, ’05 is reckoned to be forerunner for similar such agreements which are now being finalised and are close to fruition.
M’sia’s trade will see an uptrend with FTAs
5-Jul-2005 Bernama
Malaysia’s trade is expected to continue to flourish following its free trade agreements (FTAs) with its trading partners in Asia, both regionally and bilaterally, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said.
DR-CAFTA: Challenges and Opportunities for Central America (World Bank study)
5-Jul-2005 World Bank
Co-authored by World Bank economists Carlos Felipe Jaramillo and Daniel Lederman, provides an assessment of the agreement negotiated by Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua with the US.
Nakagawa intends to meet Thaksin to politically settle FTA talks
3-Jul-2005 Kyodo
Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa expressed hope Friday for talks with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to achieve a political breakthrough in bilateral negotiations to seal a free trade agreement by the end of July, the target date set by the two governments.
Thai-New Zealand FTA comes into effect
3-Jul-2005 MCOT
The bilateral free trade area (FTA) agreement between Thailand and New Zealand officially came into effect on 1 July 2005.
Zambia to lose $15m if it maintains pact with EU
3-Jul-2005 AllAfrica.com
Zambia stands to lose about US$15 million if it maintains its economic partnership agreement with the European Union (EU), Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Dipak Patel has said.
US Senate approves Central America trade deal
1-Jul-2005 Seattle Post Intelligencer
The US Senate on Thursday endorsed a free trade agreement with six Latin American nations, handing a major win to President Bush.
Labor issues to delay Japan-Philippines FTA
1-Jul-2005 Asia Times
The signing of an economic partnership agreement between Japan and the Philippines is likely to be pushed back to at least the end of the year due to disagreements over investment protections and quotas for care providers.
CAFTA and Korea: Swift countermeasures needed to cushion impacts
30-Jun-2005 Korea Times
The free trade agreement between China and 10 Southeast Asian Nations taking effect this month poses considerable challenges to Korea. The China-ASEAN FTA, or CAFTA, will form the world’s third-largest trading bloc, following NAFTA and the EU.
Demonstration against Central American summit held in Honduras
30-Jun-2005 People’s Daily
Students, teachers and indigenous residents demonstrated Wednesday in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, against the free trade agreement (FTA) between Central America and the United States.
India-Singapore CECA (2005)
30-Jun-2005 Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry
11th hour deal paves way for trade pact passage
30-Jun-2005 Oxford Press
The Bush administration and key lawmakers struck an 11th hour deal with US sugar producers to shore up congressional support for a controversial trade agreement, senators said Wednesday. A full Senate vote could come as early as Thursday on the US-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
Korean exporters brace for ASEAN-China FTA
30-Jun-2005 Chosun Ilbo
A gradual reduction in tariffs on manufactured goods between China and ASEAN as their free trade pact goes into effect on July 1 spells trouble for Korean exports.
Thailand-US: AIDS drugs take centre-stage at trade talks
30-Jun-2005 IPS
After tiptoeing around the issue for months, Thailand’s trade negotiators will have to finally reveal where they stand on the life-or-death question of producing cheap, generic anti-AIDS drugs.
Patenting rice: A matter of serious royal concern
30-Jun-2005 Bangkok Post
The prospect of including in many FTAs, especially the Thai-US one, issues like intellectual property and agriculture, could have implications on the survival or disappearance of the Thai rice culture
TRIPS, bilateralism, multilateralism & implications for developing countries: Jordan’s drug sector
30-Jun-2005
Looking at the experience of Jordan’s pharmaceutical sector, this paper shows that the expected benefits from bilateral agreements between developed and developing countries have been largely overestimated while the costs underestimated.
Trade pacts to the south losing appeal
30-Jun-2005 New York Times
An ambitious American plan for a hemispherewide trade pact, which President Bush described as a "vital link for prosperity," is mired in disputes that have led to widespread skepticism about its chances of ever materializing.