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Critics of Peru FTA call Democrats hypocritical about social security
Critics of a U.S. trade deal with Peru say House Democrats are violating their party’s principle that social security systems should not be privatized by backing a deal that could lock in a partially privatized system in Peru.
Indo-Thai FTA may get a jolt as consensus in services eludes
The free trade agreement between India and Thailand may falter in the absence of consensus regarding the services sector.
India, Russia to explore CEPA
India and Russia have decided to explore signing a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will include not only features of an FTA but also trade in services and investment.
Sri Lanka to announce FTA with India by March ’08
The proposed free trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and India can become a reality by March 2008. It would trigger trade between the two countries and offer opportunities to exploit potential in service sectors such as finance, tourism, health and education, said CII Southern Region Chairman P K Mohapatra on his return from Colombo on Friday.
Japanese check in to Thai hospitals
More Japanese nationals will receive medical treatment at Thailand’s private hospitals in 2007, according to a new survey conducted by Kasikorn Research Centre.
U.S. health expert warns Korea about effects of FTA
What would happen if a government’s policy for public health comes under siege by lawsuits from foreign companies?
AIA calls US-Korea free trade agreement strongest in decades
The American Insurance Association recently strongly praised the work of US trade negotiators who successfully concluded their talks on a Free Trade Agreement with Korea that will provide significant commercial gains for both countries.
Free Trade doesn’t protect Dominican journalists, expert says
A lawyer expert in trade said that while the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. and Central America (DR-CAFTA) protects professional services via a law that governs them, such as lawyers, doctors, accountants, speakers and television hosts, work in the media can be exerted by any foreigner, because the law that governs it doesn’t demands the condition of Dominican or an affiliation with any union.
Woolf lobbies Brussels on Asian liberalisation
Law Society president Fiona Woolf is visiting Brussels today to lobby the European Commission on the liberalisation of legal services in Asia.
India urges Pakistan to comply with Safta
Ahead of the Saarc summit here in April, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday cautioned Pakistan against non-compliance with Saarc Free Trade Area (Safta). He urged Islamabad to revise its position to ensure that global commitments undertaken by the latter were complied with.
Sri Lanka and India in trade talks in Colombo next week
Sri Lanka and India will hold another round of trade talks in Colombo next week on liberalizing professional services, investments and trade in goods.
Report lends to exporting services, widening sector
A report on the services sector released on Monday, revealed that computer-related and environmental services have high export potential, while communication, road transportation and tourism-related services are best reserved for domestic supply.
Unbundling water from land
In excluding water from GATS but not from the Australia-US FTA, we have simply swapped one lot of water lords for another.
China, ASEAN sign trade in services agreement of FTA
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed on Sunday in Cebu an agreement on Trade in Services of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
Oriental doctors protest FTA talks
Despite the government yesterday ruling out the possibility of opening the Oriental medicine market in ongoing free trade talks with the United States, Korea’s doctors are still planning to stage protests.
Services, investment to be covered by new trade deal with EU
The service sector will be included in the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the East and Southern African (ESA) countries as the parties enter the final stages of agreeing on a deal.
Oriental medical doctors resist FTA
Seoul’s move to open its market for oriental medicine has set off a fierce protest from local doctors who are concerned about increased competition in an already saturated market.
China agrees more talks on service sector reform
The US and China on Friday agreed to intensify discussions about the opening up of China’s services sector and explore the possibility of a bilateral investment treaty at the conclusion of this week’s high level talks in Beijing.
Unequal partners
This paper by Claire Godfrey provides a wide-ranging look at the many problems with the EPAs, and investigates how these could impact on the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries’ future development.