8-Aug-2012
PDI
When I was in South Korea for five days last month, I noticed that very few European and American cars were on the road in Seoul and Keosu.
7-Aug-2012
Chosun Ilbo
Korea and Vietnam have agreed to start formal talks toward a free trade agreement. Seoul and Hanoi already have a preliminary FTA, because Korea signed a trade pact with ASEAN. But Korea’s key exports — cars, components and IT products — are not included in the pact with ASEAN, so Seoul is now seeking separate FTAs with each ASEAN member country.
7-Aug-2012
The Nation
Thailand will ask the European Union to put the more than 700 export items that are at risk of losing export privileges in two years into an “early harvest” scheme under a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
7-Aug-2012
UNCTAD
Investment policy makers and investment treaty negotiators from the 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened in Pretoria, South Africa recently to engage in clause by clause in-depth discussions of the draft SADC Model Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) Template and Commentary.
7-Aug-2012
Fiji Times
As the start of trade talks on a comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union nears, African Caribbean Pacific countries have been urged by Fiji’s trade minister not to allow themselves to be forced into a deal that undermines each country’s independence.
7-Aug-2012
The Sun Daily
Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which is being negotiated among eleven countries including the US and Malaysia, would be detrimental to the local medical industry.
6-Aug-2012
Reuters
The European Union is examining a request by France to require South Korea to give advanced warning of planned car exports to the EU, the first step towards the possible re-introduction of duties a year after a free-trade deal came into effect.
6-Aug-2012
Truthout
Is it an exaggeration to speculate that drug trafficking and exploitative globalized corporate practices formalized under free-trade agreements (grounded in a race to the bottom on labor costs and environmental degradation) are two sides of the same profiteering coin?
6-Aug-2012
Ars Technica
Last week, a few short paragraphs of text were leaked that revealed something of the terms on fair use being negotiated in secret by the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
6-Aug-2012
Bernama
Pakistani businessmen who intend to invest in India should be given legal cover to ensure that no future government in Delhi reverses the decision to allow investments from Pakistan, a leading trade lobby has said.
5-Aug-2012
IPS
Two months after a free trade agreement between the US and Colombia went into effect, workers continue to face attacks.
5-Aug-2012
Daily Times
Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce is negotiating trading arrangements with Mercosur countries like Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela and Andean Community (CAN) a trade bloc comprising the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to increase it’s trade market access.
4-Aug-2012
EUR-Lex
Products produced in the Israeli settlements located within the territories brought under Israeli administration since June 1967 are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
3-Aug-2012
Bloomberg
Japan’s government wants it. Mitsubishi Corp. backs it. Toyota Motor Corp. says they need it to compete. Yet, whether Japan joins the biggest attempt at a global free-trade pact may hinge on part-time rice farmers like Tadashi Hirose. And he doesn’t much like it.
2-Aug-2012
Sapa
South Africa will avoid entering into bilateral investment treaties (BITs) in future, except where there are compelling economic and political circumstances, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said on Thursday.
2-Aug-2012
Arirang
Korea and Turkey signed a free trade agreement on Wednesday. This is the ninth trade pact signed by Korea.
1-Aug-2012
AFP
A senior US diplomat is to visit Taiwan this month, officials said Wednesday, as Taipei looks to resume free trade talks with Washington after lifting a six-year-old ban on some US beef imports.
1-Aug-2012
TNI
In this video, activists from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe argue that regional integration is the only viable response to the current economic, climate, food and energy crises.
