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bilateralism & multilateralism


ASEAN’s newer members and the Asian noodle bowl: coming to grips with multilateralism
Jayant Menon discusses the trade policy challenges faced by Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Viet Nam (CLMV)—the newest members of ASEAN. The paper concludes that the multilateralised single-rate system is a better alternative to the multiple-rate system and thus suggests that CLMV countries should follow the original ASEAN members and multilateralize their CEPT tariff preferences. It encourages both old and new members to do the same, especially in the context of proliferating ASEAN+1 FTAs
WTO fatigue fuels Asia-Pacific trade deal: NZ minister
Impatience with long-running world trade talks, and a desire to snap out of slow economic growth, explain why countries are flocking to a US-led Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser said on Sunday.
As bilateral trade deals proceed, WIPO hears warnings, calls for change
On 1 October, eight governments – Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United States – signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), negotiated entirely behind closed doors with almost no known input from the public or elected officials.
India to rely on free trade pacts amid Doha stalemate
India will keep signing free trade pacts with regional blocs and countries to boost merchandise exports, top officials said, as the World Trade Organization’s Doha round of talks remains deadlocked and economies in traditional western markets struggle to recover.
Free trade agreements: The dangerous new frontier
FTAs are worse than the WTO because they demand much more, writes Amit Sengupta
The Wrong Way to Free Trade
Late last week, a longstanding debate over free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama — deals that were negotiated under President George W. Bush but never finalized — stalled once again. President Obama supports the agreements, but only if more retraining for workers is part of the deal, a condition Republican leaders are resisting.
WTO Chief Blasts Small Pacts, Says They Hamper Global Opportunities
The World Trade Organization’s chief on Wednesday took aim at the growing number of small free-trade deals being signed among the group’s 153 member nations, saying such deals could limit opportunities with countries outside the group.
Govt hints at flexibility in WTO talks in line with FTAs
India may agree in the WTO negotiations to cut tariff in specific sectors in which the country is, any way, slashing duties under Free Trade Agreements with different countries and blocs, a Commerce Ministry official said today.
Realigning trade alliances
With the demise of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, a realignment of trade alliances is evident in the hemisphere—witness ALBA, Petro Caribe, expanded Mercosur. In the aftermath of the Lome Convention between the European Union and its former colonies of Africa, Caribbean and the Pacific, the age of preferential trade agreements came to an end and the era of reciprocal trade was born.
Doha talks on trade may need to be ended, US envoy Kirk says
The decade-old Doha round of World Trade Organization negotiations may have to be revamped or ended, US Trade Representative Ron Kirk said.
SA to host SADC-Comesa-EAC free trade agreement summit this year
Before mid-year South Africa would host the next summit on the establishment of a Trilateral Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA) among the regional economic groupings of the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Doha failure could spark regionalism
South Africa is considering bilateral trade agreements with Japan, Turkey and New Zealand, but a preferential trade agreement with India, currently under negotiation, is enjoying priority, said Brendan Vickers, a chief director at the department of trade and industry.
The cost of regional pacts
Given the changing international trade environment, India needs to strike the right balance between regionalism and multilateralism.
Trade talks need balanced inputs
The fate of the multilateral Doha Round talks to come up with an outline agreement for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by July rests in the hands of both developed and developing economies, said European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht.
A closer look at East Asia’s free trade agreements
ADB and ADBI conducted firm-level surveys in six East Asian countries, the results of which are published in the book “Asia’s Free Trade Agreements: How is Business Responding?” released on 21 January 2011.
Costa Rica: Dominican Republic will respect pact “in a nice way or not”
Central American countries are filing a complaint against Dominican Republic before the World Trade Organization for violating CAFTA
US wants to send latest tuna-dolphin spat with Mexico to NAFTA
The US government has called for the creation of a dispute settlement panel under the North American Free Trade Agreement to rule on Mexico’s decision to pursue a complaint about US labelling rules for ‘dolphin safe’ tuna at the WTO rather than under NAFTA.
With the door to Doha closed, India opens up windows to the world
Nine years after New Delhi started implementing its Plan B — bilateral trade agreements — to beat the impasse at the World Trade Organisation’s Doha Round of liberalisation talks, India seems to be finally rolling.
Asian regionalism and RI’s comparative advantage
Undeniably, we’re heading towards the globalization of world trade. At the same time countries face challenges other than globalization: regionalism and bilateralism. Indonesia simultaneously faces different levels of trade liberalization, whether at the global (World Trade Organization or WTO), regional (ASEAN Free Trade Area or AFTA) or bilateral level (such as with Australia).
Govt banks on FTAs, fears protectionism
India today articulated its strategy to opt for bilateral deals to boost trade in goods and services at a time when the developed countries were turning protectionists and talks for multilateral trade liberalisation were not making much headway.