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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	The subject of trade barriers has been a recurring issue in the country for years. Thus, a forum that emphasised the need for African countries, West African countries in particular, to trade with each other was organised Thursday by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	The representatives of business community Sunday said that Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani’s visit to China would further boost trade and strengthen economic relations between the private sectors of two countries.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	Colombia’s free trade agreement with Switzerland will enter into force from July 1, making the European nation the first developed country to sign such an agreement with Colombia.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	In the inaugural tripartite summit held in Kampala, Uganda in October 2008, our heads of state and government made a number of decisions, one of which was that the 26 countries that make up the COMESA-EAC-SADC tripartite should speed up the process of integration as outlined in the Lagos plan of action and as articulated by the continental body of the African union commission.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	The delayed free-trade area agreement between Thailand and Peru is likely to take effect in November, while an FTA with Chile should be concluded by mid-2012, says the Commerce Ministry.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	China, South Africa’s leading trade partner which has been in the past focusing its investment interests in the country’s mining and manufacturing sectors will soon "diversify" to other economic sectors and industries promoting job creation in South Africa, the Chinese investment body revealed Thursday.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              23-May-2011
                              
                            	UAE companies that have invested in Egypt may stand to lose millions of dollars as the state runs an investigation into alleged corruption by former government officials who sold land and assets to investors below market prices, lawyers say.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              22-May-2011
                              
                            	Nepal and Bhutan are holding bilateral trade talks in Bhutanese capital city Thimpu on Tuesday in order to promote bilateral trade between the two landlocked countries in South Asia.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              22-May-2011
                              
                            	All members of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) unanimously resolved to promote trade and strengthen economic ties besides accelerating the developmental activities among member countries.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              22-May-2011
                              
                            	India will protect its automobile industry as it has reached the final stages of negotiations for a free trade agreement with European Union.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              22-May-2011
                              
                            	The leaders of Japan, China and South Korea pledged Sunday to speed up laying the ground work for a possible three-way free trade pact, in a step to revitalize discussions in light of the economic damage from the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              22-May-2011
                              
                            	The nation should seek to improve its economic performance by encouraging local enterprises to enhance their research and development and marketing capabilities, and stepping up the signing of free-trade agreements (FTA) with major global trading nations, economists said yesterday.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              22-May-2011
                              Business Standard
                            	India is soon going to launch negotiations to have a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (CECA) with Latin American trading bloc MERCOSUR even as it looks to “expedite” the talks to have a preferential trade agreement with the South African Customs Union (SACU).
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              20-May-2011
                              IPS
                            	A proposal to put an end to the highly anti-democratic nature of the European Union’s Bilateral Investment Treaties was heavily watered down by a plenary voting in the European Parliament. However, in their current form the treaties may pose a serious risk for European democracy.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                                    20-May-2011
                              Bloomberg
                            	The decade-old Doha round of World Trade Organization negotiations may have to be revamped or ended, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              20-May-2011
                              Reuters
                            	The United States and eight other Asia Pacific countries agreed on Thursday to strive for the "broad outlines" of a free trade pact by the time President Barack Obama hosts a regional summit in Hawaii in November.
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              20-May-2011
                              Xinhua
                            	The prime ministers of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries failed to reach an agreement on the creation of a free trade zone during the meeting of the CIS heads of governments in Minsk on Thursday, local media reported.
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              19-May-2011
                              AFL-CIO
                            	The Obama administration announced yesterday that because Guatemala has not  taken sufficient  steps to effectively enforce its labor laws, as required under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), it is requesting a meeting of the Free Trade Commission.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                              19-May-2011
                              
                            	Leaders of South Korea’s largest business groups urged the nation’s parliament Thursday to quickly ratify a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States signed four years ago.
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                
                                          
                                         
                             
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                                    19-May-2011
                              Economic Times
                            	Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will next week lay out a new multi-pronged strategy to engage Africa, a move that aims to counter China’s rising clout in the continent.