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India, Brazil, South Africa to hold meet for enhancing trade
In a bid to enhance trade ties, India, Brazil and South Africa have decided to hold an annual meeting of trade ministers with New Delhi being the venue for the first such dialogue, the South African commerce ministry has said.
FTA will make foreigners overly powerful
Foreign investors can bypass local laws and punish the government if the latter stops them from making profits under a FTA, says DAP’s Charles Santiago.
US-Korea trade deal hurts Canadian hog farmers
With the US Congress approving its free trade deal with South Korea last week, Canadian pork could soon be shut out of its third largest market.
Ukraine may turn to Customs Union if EU talks fail - minister
Ukraine may move closer to the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan if the European Union blocks its association agreement with Kiev, Ukraine’s Social Policy Minister Serhiy Tyhypko said.
Pacific nations eye ’stepping-stone’ trade deal
The United States and eight other Pacific countries hope to announce the crux of a major trade deal at an Asia-Pacific summit next month, officials said Monday, a step toward an elusive APEC-wide accord.
Pacific free trade pact may allow no exceptions: gov’t tells DPJ
The Japanese government told ruling party lawmakers Monday that it is unclear whether exceptions will be admitted in abolishing tariffs under the proposed trans-Pacific free trade framework as they weighed whether Japan should join talks for the multilateral pact.
Assembly in deadlock over KORUS FTA
Korea’s National Assembly is locked in an impasse with the ruling and the opposition parties showing no signs of backing down from their position on the long-stalled Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS FTA).
US-Colombia FTA to be signed in days: Adviser to Obama
The US Free Trade Agreement with Colombia will be signed into law within days, according to the US President’s senior adviser on Latin America.
The view from Europe: Central America, Europe and the Caribbean
Little has been said about how the Caribbean, Central America and eventually almost all of Latin America will in a matter of years be competing directly in Europe, writes David Jessop
ASEAN prepares framework of principles for Asia-Pacific wide FTA
This move reflects a deep concern among some member countries that ASEAN could be sidelined by the US-backed Trans-Pacific Partnership that has attracted attention even as it is being negotiated, especially if Japan decides to come on board, ASEAN official sources said.
Comprehensive PJEPA FTA review pushed
The Philippines is expected to call for a comprehensive review of its free trade agreement with Japan to put the country in a better position, but such move should not be in conflict with Japan’s stance that the review should only focus on further liberalizing this bilateral trade agreement.
Results of the fifth round of FTA negotiations between Korea and Colombia
The two countries engaged in intensive discussion on outstanding issues in the areas of trade in goods, trade remedies, intellectual property rights, investment, rules of origin, cooperation, and sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
Free-trade backers eye trans-Pacific
Now that US Congress approved free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, trade experts want lawmakers to harness the momentum and turn their attention to other potential deals in what is seen as a way to boost the economy and create jobs: sealing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, getting Russia to join the WTO, and creating FTAs with the EU and Brazil.
South Korean opposition resists US trade pact
South Korea’s opposition party has said it will resist any bid to force a sweeping free-trade agreement with the US through parliament, following ratification of the deal by US congress.
Indian pharma industry to gain from free trade agreement with Gulf nations
The Indian pharmaceuticals and chemicals industry will be among the biggest beneficiaries of a free trade agreement between the GCC and India, a leading banker in the region has said.
The mixed nature of the agreement: a question of democracy
The start of the approval process for the European Union’s Multiparty Agreement with Colombia and Peru has reignited the debate about the mixed nature of the agreement.
Colombian, Korean and Panamanian activists condemn White House support for new "free trade" deals
Organizers held a teach-in at Occupy Wall Street on Monday about "free trade agreements" with Colombia, Panama and South Korea now pending in Congress that will expand the market for national corporations and financial corporations from the United States.
China-Canada investment deal in the works
Canada and China are creeping closer to signing an agreement that would set investment rules and guide dispute resolution for investors, International Trade Minister Ed Fast said Thursday.
’Buy local’ food policies not at risk in EU deal: Ritz
Canada’s agriculture minister says he’s heard nothing in European free trade talks that would jeopardize policies favouring local food suppliers, but the National Farmers Union says a draft text suggests otherwise.
U.S.-Korea FTA to impact Taiwan: economic officials
Economic officials said Thursday that a free trade agreement (FTA) approved a day earlier between the United States and South Korea will have an impact on local companies to the tune of around US$11.84 billion per year. The Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT) said the U.S.-Korea pact will influence 34.1 percent of all Taiwan-made products exported to the U.S.