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ASEAN

Pressure builds to seal trade deals
9-Apr-2006
New Zealand could be sidelined from trading with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies if it fails to push ahead with a network of Asian free trade deals, Associate Minister for Trade Negotiations Jim Sutton says.
Panel pushes 16-nation FTA in Asia, mulls boosting foreign workers
8-Apr-2006 TMCnet
A government policy-setting panel on Friday welcomed a proposal by the trade minister to launch negotiations between Japan and its 15 Asian neighbors to create a free trade zone, and discussed whether to accept more foreign workers amid the aging of society, economic and fiscal policy minister Kaoru Yosano said.
US in relentless bid to forge FTA with Southeast Asia
7-Apr-2006 AFP
More than three years after President George W Bush unveiled an initiative to forge free-trade agreements with Southeast Asian nations, a deal aimed at prising open the 500-million-strong regional market remains elusive.
Japan proposes huge free trade zone
6-Apr-2006
Japan’s sponsorship of a vast free trade area including most of Asia, Australia and New Zealand is expected to be on the agenda when Associate Trade Minister Jim Sutton visits Tokyo later this month.
Japanese govt to propose big Asian free-trade zone
4-Apr-2006 AFX
The Japanese government plans to propose the formation of an Asian free-trade zone which could include half the world’s population and rival the EU and NAFTA, an official of the trade ministry said.
India-Asean FTA hits a roadblock
25-Mar-2006 NDTV
The India-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has hit a roadblock with Agriculture Ministry objecting to inclusion of farm products like pepper, rubber, palm oil, coffee and tea in the tariff liberalisation programme.
India in center of effort for world’s largest free trade area
22-Mar-2006 World Peace Herald
India is pushing ahead on negotiations for free trade agreements with a series of Asian and Middle East countries that are expected to result in the emergence of the world’s largest free trade area by population.
Decision on Asean-EU free trade pact in August
17-Mar-2006 Business Times
The European Union (EU) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) are still studying the possibility of having free trade agreements (FTAs) either on a regional basis or bilaterally with individual countries, says European Commission ambassador and head of delegation Thierry Rommel.
Vietnam: FTA or not?
14-Mar-2006 VietNamNet Bridge
As Vietnam’s bid to join the WTO comes to its conclusion, economic experts are drawing the public’s attention to another topic: What should Vietnam do about free trade agreements (FTA) within ASEAN?
Japan to resume free-trade talks with Asean in April
13-Mar-2006 Manila Times
The Japanese government has decided to resume stalled talks with Asean over signing a free-trade deal from next month, as other Asian nations rush to conclude such agreements.
Korea, ASEAN fail on FTA terms
10-Mar-2006
South Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to agree on some details in the 10th round of their free trade agreement (FTA) talks this week, the country’s Agriculture Ministry said Friday.
‘Ensure customs relief to inputs in FTAs’
7-Mar-2006
The finance ministry has asked the commerce ministry to cover raw materials and intermediates in the free trade agreements (FTAs) being signed.
UNCTAD talks on trade remain inconclusive
25-Feb-2006 The Hindu
The UNCTAD negotiations held in Kochi to assess the impact of trade as per the WTO regime as well as the ASEAN FTA on the local agricultural and industrial sectors, elicited inadequate response from the stakeholders.
India, Asean toiling for pact on negative items under FTA
16-Feb-2006
India and Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations) are struggling to reach an agreement on the list of sensitive items for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two sides. The sensitive or negative list contains items which will not be subjected to duty cuts agreed under the FTA.
Japan, ASEAN to resume free trade talks
12-Feb-2006 Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed Saturday to resume official free trade agreement negotiations in March, as ASEAN welcomed Japan’s proposal of a common tariff-elimination method.
Vietnam, Japan to start FTA negotiations
7-Feb-2006 Xinhua
Vietnam and Japan will begin their first round of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in mid-February, local media on Monday quoted sources from the Vietnamese Trade Ministry.
EOs imperil vegetable, fruit industries
28-Jan-2006 ABS-CBN
The reduction of tariffs on wide range of agricultural products as mandated by Executive Orders 485 and 487 under the China-ASEAN FTA would impact the Philippines’ vegetable and fruit industries, a coalition of nongovernment organizations for the agriculture sector said.
India for pan-Asian trade agreement
28-Jan-2006 Financial Express
India on Friday expressed its desire for eventually expanding the proposed comprehensive economic cooperation agreement (Ceca) with Asean to a pan-Asian pact covering six more countries including Japan, China, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, aiming at a common economic community in East Asia.
China-ASEAN FTA agreement benefits China’s textile export
21-Jan-2006 Xinhua
Since China and the ASEAN started their tariff reduction process on July 1, 2005 on the basis of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) agreement, the ASEAN would gradually lower its tariff upon Chinese textile and apparel, which may increase China’s textile export to this region.
EU-Asean FTA talks at intense exploratory stage
19-Jan-2006 The Edge Daily
EU-Asean free trade talks are at "an intense" exploratory stage and the third high-level meeting of trade officials from both regions is scheduled to take place in Bangkok next week, said EU envoy to Malaysia, Thierry Rommel.