bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

bilateralism & multilateralism

Govt banks on FTAs, fears protectionism
23-Aug-2010
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.
Swiss say prefer bilateral trade deals to EU membership
20-Aug-2010 Reuters
Switzerland will continue to pursue bilateral trade agreements with the European Union for the time being rather than joining the trading bloc as a member state, the Swiss government said on Thursday.
Dancing Around the WTO
16-Aug-2010
Whether possessing formal statehood or not, Taiwan like all other 152 members of the World Trade Organization has to elbow its way through foreign trade disputes. Sometimes it loses, sometimes it wins. But it has to abide by WTO regulations, one of which requires the reporting of trade agreements.
G20 leaders drop Doha target, see smaller deals
29-Jun-2010 Reuters
World leaders dropped a commitment on Saturday to complete the troubled Doha trade round this year and vowed to push forward on bilateral and regional trade talks until a global deal could be done.
US pledges to revise South Korea free trade agreement
28-Jun-2010 FT
The US said at the weekend it will seek to complete a long-stalled trade deal with South Korea, while the G8 acknowledged deep troubles in global trade talks by shifting the focus to bilateral pacts.
Free market stealth economics at G20
27-Jun-2010 Toronto Media Co-op
Behind razor sharp security walls and thousands of armed police, Canada’s Conservative government is utilising the G20 summit as a political platform to push forward bilateral trade agreements globally, according to recent statements from the Canadian government.
WTO DG Pascal Lamy describes FTAs as "politically convenient" instruments
25-Jun-2010
Asean has been interested in using Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as instruments for promoting trade in the globalised economy.
US, EU sign deal to end long banana dispute
9-Jun-2010 AFP
The United States said Tuesday it had signed an agreement with the European Union aimed at ending a longstanding dispute over banana tariffs.
Taiwan claims right to sign FTAs as WTO member
8-Jun-2010
Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang said yesterday that Taiwan, as a WTO member, has the right to seek free trade deals with as many countries as it chooses, a move recently strongly opposed by China.
China, India to raise concerns at WTO about “TRIPS-plus” measures, ACTA
3-Jun-2010 IPW
China and India next week plan to voice concerns at the World Trade Organization about efforts by developed countries to push poorer trading partners beyond their WTO commitments on trade and intellectual property rights, so-called TRIPS-plus measures.
Bananas: Geneva Agreement signed, bilaterals cut tariffs further
3-Jun-2010 ICTSD
The Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas cuts the EU’s multilateral banana tariff in gradual steps while its bilateral tariff on bananas from Peru, Colombia and six Central American countries will be slashed still further.
India may use EU drug suit to turn FTA talks in its favour
21-May-2010 Indian Express
By formally declaring their willingness to take the European Union to the World Trade Organization’s dispute settlement court last week, India may be using the looming legal dispute as leverage to control the free trade (FTA) negotiations which have hit a snag on social issues.
No timetable for ECFA to become FTA
25-Mar-2010 Taipei Times
Many WTO members have expressed support for a China-Taiwan Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and would be happy to see it happen, says Taiwan’s permanent representative to WTO.
EU, Vietnam to start free-trade talks
3-Mar-2010 WSJ
The European Union and Vietnam announced the start of free-trade negotiations Tuesday, signaling a major effort to move ahead in the race to secure new markets despite the failure of the Doha Round of global trade talks.
Mercosur, EU may set aside agriculture to reach trade deal
18-Feb-2010 EFE
Brazil mentions the possibility of putting aside the subject of agriculture for the moment, since “the central problem of eliminating agricultural subsidies can only be resolved with a global plan” at the World Trade Organization.
Regional integration is a pipe dream
17-Nov-2009
Those who favour a big push for regional integration in Asia now have their day in the sun. They say that the global economic crisis has accelerated the decline of America and the rise of China, India and other emerging powers. Power is shifting inexorably from the West to Asia.
WTO voices concern over high tariffs in Sacu states
11-Nov-2009
Members of the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) trade policy review committee raised its concern last week over the relatively extensive use of antidumping and other tariff measures by SA on behalf of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu).
Asia-Pacific businesses losing interest in Doha
19-Oct-2009 Business World
Businesses are becoming less interested in the World Trade Organization’s attempts to forge a global deal as long-standing talks have yet to yield results, a private sector group affiliated with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation warned late last week.
S.Africa, EU sign trade deal, to bridge Doha gaps
11-Sep-2009 Reuters
South Africa and the European Union on Friday signed an amended trade, development and co-operation agreement and also pledged to intensify work to bridge gaps preventing conclusion of Doha trade talks.
Eastern promises
7-Sep-2009
When the Rubber Bill (intended to amend the Rubber Act, 1947) was presented in Parliament on August 7, the Opposition did not let it through. The reason was, it was presented by Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state for parliamentary affairs, and not any minister of commerce and industry, which is the ministry concerned.