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North Korea and Vietnam sign banking pact to boost trade
30-May-2004
North Korea has signed a banking pact with Vietnam as it moves to boost bilateral trade with a fellow communist country, an official from North Korea’s embassy in Hanoi said today.
NGO Statement: Stop EU-ACP Free Trade Agreements
30-May-2004
Since 2002 the European Union (EU) and countries of the Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Group (ACP) have been negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
FTA to boost US trade ties - Bahrain
30-May-2004
Leading businessmen, investors and experts have termed the conclusion of Free Trade Agreement negotiations with the US a major development and opening of a new era of progress and development.
US-Bahrain FTA concluded
30-May-2004
The United States and Bahrain struck a free-trade agreement (FTA) May 27 after four months of negotiations, prompting cheers from business leaders.
EU-Mercosur still far from ambitious trade pact
30-May-2004
Talks to link the European Union and South America in one of the world’s largest trade pacts are in their final phase but pose difficult challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
Free trade agreements and the transformation of global trade
29-May-2004 Modern Plastics
The Cancun round of WTO negotiations in Mexico last year ended in disarray, prompting countries to seek other means of freeing up trade.
China-New Zealand trade framework agreement signed
28-May-2004
China’s Commerce Minister has described the first formal step towards a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand as a historic moment for his country.
Rules of origin need proper perspective under trade pacts
28-May-2004 Rules of origin need proper perspective under trade pacts
Rules of origin (RoI) are emerging as one of the most important issues in the context of preferential trading relations of a country. They are a set of instruments, a lack of consensus on which can, and have, delayed several agreements on trade.
Mexico free trade founders on Japan’s farmers
28-May-2004
The failure of bilateral trade talks between Mexico and Japan on October 16 has shocked both sides, particularly Japan. The talks foundered on the question of what to do about Japan’s farmers, among the most highly subsidized in the world and the power base of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Korea’s FTA conundrum
28-May-2004 Korea’s FTA Conundrum
After a protracted courtship, Korea and Japan finally agreed last month to start negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
Taiwan: Cabinet to set up special task force for US FTA talks
28-May-2004 Cabinet to set up special task force for US FTA talks
The Cabinet will set up a special task force to handle the signing of a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the US in a bid to speed up the trade negotiations that have been stalled since the beginning of last year, Premier Yu Shyi-kun announced yesterday.
MTD Capital wins case against Chile
28-May-2004 MTD Capital wins case against Chile
MTD Capital Bhd has won in its legal dispute against the government of Chile in respect of its investment in a housing project in the country.
Stop the Central American Free Trade Agreement!
28-May-2004 Stop the Central American Free Trade Agreement!
Our Congressional representatives and Senators will be in their home districts from May 24 to 31. As U.S. citizens we need to hold our elected officials responsible and call on them to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
Harken v. Costa Rica: US companies employ blackmail in ’free trade’ with Central America
28-May-2004 Harken v. Costa Rica: US companies employ blackmail in ’free trade’ with Central America
Nearly two years ago, Costa Rican nationals and admirers thought they’d been given reason to rest easy. In May 2002, responding to a large-scale mobilization of the country’s environmentalists, President Abel Pacheco announced a moratorium on oil exploration and open-pit mining in Costa Rica.
Can trade be a lever for reforms in the Middle East?
28-May-2004
Testimony by David L. Mack in Hearings of the US Senate Finance Committee, published by the Daily Star, Beirut, Lebanon, in a two-part series on 27-28 May 2004
China-Chile mining agreement, FTA on cards?
28-May-2004
China and Chile, the world’s largest copper consumer and supplier respectively, signed a memorandum of understanding to create a joint commission on mining, which paves the way for more Chinese miners to explore the lucrative mining market in the South American nation, said a visiting Chilean official.
What benefit will FTAs bring to the Japanese economy?
27-May-2004 What benefit will FTAs bring to the Japanese economy?
Let me first give you four reasons why economic partnership agreements (EPAs), which cover broader areas than free trade agreements (FTAs), are important. The first reason is that FTAs are now a world "rule of the game," and Japan is at a disadvantage in not taking part in the game.
Japan’s FTA strategy
27-May-2004 Japan’s FTA strategy
Amid the advance of economic globalization, it is important to maintain and strengthen the free trade system. While the World Trade Organization continues to play an important role in this effort, free trade agreements (FTAs) offer a means of strengthening partnerships in areas not covered by the WTO and achieving liberalization beyond levels attainable under the WTO.
Japan: Red tape, resistance block free trade accords
27-May-2004 Japan: Red tape, resistance block free trade accords
Correctly tweaked, the numbers make perfect sense - free trade agreements (FTAs) between Japan and South-east Asian countries could provide a much-needed fillip to the moribund Japanese economy, and will in turn give a boost to a region in which Japan is already the biggest investor.
Japan’s policy to strengthen economic partnership
27-May-2004 Japan’s policy to strengthen economic partnership
– Promoting Economic Partnership Agreements with closely related countries and regions