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S Korean protester sets himself ablaze outside FTA talks
2-Apr-2007 Daily News and Analysis India
A South Korean protester set himself on fire on Sunday outside a Seoul hotel where talks on a free trade pact with the United States are in their final hours, witnesses and hospital officials said.
EU wants Dar to decide under which regional bloc it will negotiate EPAs
2-Apr-2007
Tanzania has failed to register any significant progress in negotiating Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the European Union for the past 13 months.
Legal expert warns Thai-Japan trade pact could be invalid
2-Apr-2007
The signing of the Japan-Thailand free trade agreement in Tokyo tomorrow could eventually be proven invalid as the signing process is unconstitutional, a legal expert said yesterday. Thammasat University law lecturer Banjerd Singkhaneti said the interim constitution did not authorise the coup-installed government to sign the bilateral trade pact, also known as the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA).
FTA with Japan seen as a threat to SMEs
2-Apr-2007
The decision of the interim government to sign the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (Jtepa) spells doom for most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which have low competitiveness compared to Japanese high-technology industries, some key Thai industries say.
What’s the rush to ink FTA with Japan?
2-Apr-2007 Bangkok Post
Critics of tomorrow’s signing say the interim Thai government has broken promises and failed to reveal details of the pact, but the biggest question they have is why Surayud is in such a hurry
Signing of FTA is like policy corruption, NGOs tell govt
2-Apr-2007 The Nation
A group of Thai non-governmental organisations led by FTA Watch yesterday launched a campaign against the Surayud government over its plan to sign a free-trade pact with Japan tomorrow. The Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement will cause tremendous damage to a massive number of farmers and allow a foreign country to take over the country’s biological resources, while only a few exporters would benefit, they said.
South Korea-US FTA talks go past extended deadline to salvage deal
2-Apr-2007 Yonhap
Top-level officials from South Korea and the United States struggled Monday to come up with major compromises in their final stage of negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), with the deadline for the talks extended for the second time in two days.
S Korean man attempts self-immolation against FTA with US
1-Apr-2007 Yonhap
A South Korean man set himself afire on Sunday to dramatize his opposition to a proposed free trade agreement between his country and the United States, as negotiations were coming to a close, with an extended deadline only hours away. The 56-year-old taxi driver, identified only by his surname Heo, was in serious condition at a hospital after the protest 20 meters from the front gate of a heavily guarded Seoul hotel where the final talks were under way.
Activists celebrate as Malaysia-US FTA deadline expires
1-Apr-2007 AFP
Malaysian opponents of a free-trade deal with the United States celebrated Saturday after the countries missed an end-of-the-month deadline to fast-track an agreement.
ASEAN urges India to widen market
1-Apr-2007 MCOT
In ongoing trade negotiations, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) urged India to open its import market to additional key commodities, a senior Thai Commerce Ministry official reports.
South Africa, India and Brazil - the IBSA FTA
1-Apr-2007 tralac
Following a comprehensive examination of the most recent merchandise trade flows between the relevant countries this paper looks at the possible economic results from removing all merchandise tariff barriers between the three partners of India, Brazil and South Africa/SACU.
Letter from Japanese farmers to Prime Minister of Thailand
1-Apr-2007 Via Campesina
From our standpoint, upcoming Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Thailand and Japan involves big problems which will bring misery of people in both countries.
Businesses back trade pact
31-Mar-2007
Thailand’s powerful business groups have thrown their full support behind government plans to sign a free trade agreement with Japan, believing the deal will increase exports to Japan by more than US$1 billion in the first year alone.
Negotiators extend deadline for South Korea trade pact
31-Mar-2007 NY Times
United States and South Korean negotiators on Friday extended a deadline to reach a free-trade agreement, as Washington struggled to complete a deal that could be used as a model for other Asian countries.
Peru, China interested in bilateral FTA
31-Mar-2007
President of Peru Alan Garcia and member of the Permanent Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, Li Changchun, confirmed on Friday the common interest to negotiate a bilateral free trade agreement.
Vietnam, Chile begin free trade talks
31-Mar-2007
Vietnam and Chile have launched negotiations on a free trade agreement, the Chilean Ambassador to Vietnam said Thursday, forecasting a deal may be reached soon.
EU pledges aid, advice to Saarc, Safta
31-Mar-2007
The European Commission (EC) has offered to share expertise and experience in all areas of interest to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) as well as in the implementation of the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (Safta).
Bush notifies Congress of plans to sign Panama free trade deal
31-Mar-2007
President George W. Bush notified Congress on Friday that he plans to sign a free trade agreement with Panama.
Taiwan confident of winning FTA support
31-Mar-2007
Pointing out that few problems exist in business and trade exchanges between Taiwan and the United States, a Taiwan economics official said Thursday that he is confident Taiwan will win the U.S. private sector’s support for the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Ex-USTR negotiator Vargo key in CAFTA case
30-Mar-2007
Pittsburgh-based Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) has hired former US trade agreement negotiator, Regina Vargo, and filed suit against the Guatemalan government under the investor-state provisions within Chapter 10 of CAFTA.