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ASEAN

Pact’s progress
9-Jan-2006
The China-ASEAN FTA will form a huge market, with 1.85 billion consumers and a combined gross domestic product of almost US$2.5 trillion. Both sides hope to establish an FTA by 2010, and will gradually reduce export tariffs until then.
Asean proposes separate negative lists
26-Dec-2005 Financial Express
Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) has demanded that all its members should be allowed to maintain separate negative lists with India in the free trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated between the two sides. It, however, wants India to have a common negative list for all the 10 Asean members.
Racing with tigers to catch up with dragon
24-Dec-2005 Economic Times
With multilateral talks through the World Trade Organisation moving rather slowly, the engagement with the Asian Tigers seems to be the Indian ‘Elephant’ economy’s chance to catch up with the Chinese Dragon.
Indonesia should set up FTA with Japan ’soon’
23-Dec-2005 Jakarta Post
Indonesia could lose US$400 million in potential export revenues per year if it does not establish a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan, while most other ASEAN members have done so to complement the region’s own free market in 2010, a study shows.
A strong sub-regional grouping in the making
22-Dec-2005 Financial Express
As a new sub-regional group, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is making its presence felt in this part of the world.
Rice gets in way of FTA deal
22-Dec-2005 AFP
Thailand said it had refused to sign a trade agreement between South Korea and ASEAN, insisting that rice be included on the list of goods facing tariff cuts.
Avoid marginalization by China, analysts urge
20-Dec-2005
While it’s too early to judge the prospects for the "pan-Asian" free trade community mentioned in the inaugural East Asia Summit (EAS), Taiwan, which has been excluded from participating, should devise a strategy to avoid being marginalized before it’s too late, analysts said.
FTA must cover at least 90 percent of trade: Asean Sec-Gen
15-Dec-2005 Bernama
A quality free trade agreement (FTA) between countries should cover 90 to 95 per cent of their trade, Asean Secretary General Ong Keng Yong said Wednesday, adding that India’s long exclusion list of products hampered such a pact with Asean.
Reaping the fruit of FTA with ASEAN
14-Dec-2005
The impending free trade agreement with the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expected to mark yet another leap for Korea in its pursuit of extensive trade ties in strategic markets.
On the free trade track
14-Dec-2005
Korea has taken another step forward in its pursuit of free trade agreements by signing the framework agreement with ASEAN on Tuesday. It should provide new momentum toward launching or accelerating talks with more trading partners, including the United States, Japan and China.
Asean concerned about India’s position on FTA - Abdullah
14-Dec-2005
Asean has expressed its concern on India’s proposal to exclude a large number of products from tariff concessions under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
S Korea signs trade deal with Asean
14-Dec-2005 Financial Times
The Korea-ASEAN FTA will include the free flow of goods, services and investments, but a stumbling block emerged with a dispute over rice imports from Thailand. The issue is a sensitive one when Korean farmers are protesting about the removal of trade barriers on farm products under the WTO.
Japan can help ASEAN integration
13-Dec-2005
Japan plays a key role in promoting economic integration in Southeast Asia by helping to narrow the gap between developed and less developed countries in the region, scholars from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations told a recent symposium in Tokyo.
South Korea signs free trade pact with ASEAN, excludes Thailand
13-Dec-2005 Jakarta Post
South Korea and Southeast Asian nations on Tuesday inked a tariff-slashing Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with Thailand choosing to be excluded from the pact which does not include rice in its list of items.
ASEAN+3 leaders urge efforts for regional free trade bloc
13-Dec-2005 Asia Pulse
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries, Japan and China held a one-day "ASEAN Plus Three Summit" in the Malaysian capital on Monday and adopted a joint statement calling for redoubled efforts for the formation of the so-called East Asia free trade agreement.
Australian ambassador’s big regret: no FTA
12-Dec-2005
Australian Ambassador Colin Heseltine left Seoul two days ago for home at the end of his assignment with one major bit of unfinished business - he was not able to push the excellent bilateral relations between both countries to an even higher level with a free trade agreement.
FTA with Asean provides level playing field for South Korea
12-Dec-2005
With the preliminary Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with Asean, South Korea is expected to compete with China and Japan on a level playing field, a South Korean minister said Monday.
PM makes out a strong case for Pan-Asian FTA
12-Dec-2005
Saying that India was examining ways to develop regional trading arrangements with China, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today gave an affirmative commitment here that India will dismantle ’’unwarranted’’ barriers, expand global capital flows and bring down tariff rates to levels prevalent in ASEAN countries, as a build-up to creating an East Asian Community.
Enlarged East Asian FTA not intended to replace WTO
10-Dec-2005
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the enlarged East Asian free trade agreement (FTA) was not intended to replace the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as most of the negotiations done by Asean were WTO-compatible.
FTA held up by trivial items
10-Dec-2005
TOILET seats, dolls and chewing gum were some of the products a bemused Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said had presented a hitch to the negotiations to the Asean-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA).