bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Articles by language


Sacu talks resume with US
Interview with Deputy US Trade Representative Karan Bhatia.
US Ambassador unhappy about Japan’s idea of East Asia FTA
US Ambassador to Japan Thomas Schieffer expressed concern on Wednesday about Japan’s idea to create a free trade zone in East Asia, claiming it could damage US regional interests.
US-Peru free trade deal a step back for development
International aid organization Oxfam criticized today’s signing of the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in Washington, an agreement it says would do more harm than good for millions of Peruvians who live in poverty.
Tell Congress: oppose the US-Peru free trade agreement!
Oxfam has set up a web page where you can send letters to US Congress urging them to reject the US-Peru FTA, signed last week.
Framework for Korea-US FTA unveiled
The two countries agreed to withhold some of the negotiation documents from the public for three years after the accord comes into effect.
US trade deal failing some Aussie firms
Australia’s free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States is only benefiting businesses with well-established links, Australia’s peak industry group says.
US, SA union fail to reach consensus on free trade
The US government and the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) have failed to reach consensus regarding the establishment of a free trade agreement. Unrealistic demands by the US government are said to be at the centre of the failed talks.
Gulf states next FTA goal
New Zealand is to forge ahead with trying to secure a free trade deal with Gulf states.
What people want is fair trade, not free trade
If the argument that the US FTA stands to benefit Malaysia as a whole is sound, then this, we hope, can be proven by an open discussion of what the agreement will really mean to individual Malaysians, and not just corporate interests.
Fair trade campaigners push for the scrapping of EPAs
Thirty civil society groups across Africa and Europe have called for an end to negotiations aimed at implementing an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
Ecuador to formally request date to resume US FTA talks
The Ecuadorean government plans to send a formal request this week to the U.S. government to resume free trade talks between the two nations, the country’s top trade negotiator said Tuesday.
Trade minister vows to defend ’Maginot Line’ in FTA
Korea will need to end negotiations for a free trade agreement with the U.S. as it did with Japan if it cannot defend its “Maginot Line” — protection for sensitive agricultural and service sectors — Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong said Monday.
Dhaka-Ankara bilateral ties
The Prime Minister of Turkey not only hosted the Bangladesh leader but also highlighted the need for augmenting bilateral relations in different fields, including trade and investment.
South Asia eyes free trade zone by 2016
South Asian nations want to ease tariffs gradually with the aim of establishing a free trade zone in about a decade, experts at a trade meeting said on Tuesday.
’Seoul shouldn’t hurry FTA talks’
When Korea and the United States enter formal negotiations for a free trade agreement in June, both countries are expected to begin a fight against time to meet a March 2007 target to conclude the talks.
Seoul rules out win-lose FTA with United States
South Korea will not rush through its free trade agreement (FTA) deal with the United States so as to make the bilateral pact a win-lose deal for Korea rather than a win-win treaty.
US Trade Commission examines FTA impact
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will hold a public hearing Thursday on a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea, industry officials said Sunday.
US pushes to limit generic drug rights
Under global trading rules, the inventors of medicines ordinarily enjoy the right to a 20-year monopoly on their inventions. But five years ago, the United States joined 141 other countries to sign the Doha Declaration, confirming the right of poor countries to break drug patents and produce cheap generic drugs in the event of contagions like HIV.
US FTAs could hit Pak gains in exports: ADB
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has cautioned that free trade agreements between the US and many of Pakistan’s competitors in clothing exports as well as the trade diversion effect of the May 2005 inclusion of 10 East European countries in the EU (itself one of the top three T&C exporters), could affect the country’s potential gains in exports.
A US-Caricom free trade agreement?
US Trade Representative, Robert Portman, met Trade Ministers of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries on 12 April giving rise to speculation that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the US and Caricom countries might be in the offing.