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.
10-Dec-2005
People’s Daily
Japan is craving a "return to Asia", and the kernel of its regional strategy is to "Japanize" regional policies, legal system, industrial division and financial and monetary fields. It mainly targets some ASEAN countries, at the same time avoiding Free Trade Agreement (FTA) but bending on Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
7-Dec-2005
People’s Daily
Thailand will not sign a free trade agreement (FTA) between the Association of South East Asian Nations and South Korea because it does not include rice, government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said on Tuesday.