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Venezuela gains Mercosur entry, deepening relations
12-Dec-2005 Bloomberg
Venezuela today gained entry into the South American trade group Mercosur, a move pursued by President Hugo Chavez to help strengthen regional agreements and thwart a US-sponsored accord for the hemisphere.
CARICOM signs free trade agreement with Cuba
12-Dec-2005 Caribbean Network News
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders and Cuban President Fidel Castro have made an agreement giving Cuba access to free trade in the region.
Statement from US sugar producers regarding US-Peru FTA
12-Dec-2005 ASA
The US sugar industry strongly prefers that negotiation of sugar market access occur in the multilateral, comprehensive WTO context, where foreign subsidies can also be addressed, rather than in bilateral and regional FTAs, where subsidies are not addressed.
Japan, Vietnam agree to begin FTA negotiations as soon as possible
11-Dec-2005 Kazinform
Japan and Vietnam agreed Friday to begin full-fledged negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement as soon as necessary conditions are met, Japan’s trade minister said.
China, Pakistan harvest ties
10-Dec-2005
Pakistani mangos and oranges will be imported into China at zero tariff from January 1, 2006, while Chinese-made textile machinery and organic chemicals will enjoy free duty in Pakistan at the same time.
DR, Mercosur initiate talks on free trade
10-Dec-2005
The Common Market of the South (Mercosur), made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, today signed a "document of intention" with Dominican Republic for "broadening the common political and economic dialogue."
Peru trade deal angers US asparagus growers
10-Dec-2005
Asparagus growers in Washington state, Michigan and California say they will ask Congress to scuttle a newly announced free-trade agreement between the United States and Peru.
FTA to enhance Japan-M’sia economic relations, says Koizumi
10-Dec-2005
The Japan-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will boost trade and investment, improve competitiveness and advance Tokyo-Kuala Lumpur economic relations to a new stage, says Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Entrepreneurs, economists trust Free Trade starts in January
10-Dec-2005
Entrepreneurs and economists trust that the Free Trade Agreement with Central America and the United States (DR-CAFTA) will in effect start as scheduled in January 2006.
Enlarged East Asian FTA not intended to replace WTO
10-Dec-2005
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the enlarged East Asian free trade agreement (FTA) was not intended to replace the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as most of the negotiations done by Asean were WTO-compatible.
WTO talks’ possible failure bad for Taiwan: researchers
10-Dec-2005
The anticipated collapse of the sixth WTO ministerial meeting will divert member countries away from striking bilateral or regional free-trade pacts, which would gradually drive Taiwan’s trade and business into a corner, lawmakers and researchers said yesterday.
Japan to speed trade talks with Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines
10-Dec-2005
Japan said Saturday it had agreed to accelerate negotiations on separate free-trade pacts with Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines in meetings held ahead of the inaugural East Asia Summit.
Israel signs South American trade agreement
10-Dec-2005
Israel signed an agreement to expand trade with a South American free-trade alliance. The deal is aimed at eventually creating a free-trade area between Israel and MERCOSUR, which encompasses Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.
FTA held up by trivial items
10-Dec-2005
TOILET seats, dolls and chewing gum were some of the products a bemused Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said had presented a hitch to the negotiations to the Asean-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA).
Rough ride for some Asean FTA talks
10-Dec-2005
Asean Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong admitted Saturday that some of Asean’s free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations were difficult, and cited talks with India, Japan and South Korea as examples.
Comment: "Smug calculations" lack sincerity, analysis
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).
New chapter in strategic ties
10-Dec-2005 Business Times
Excerpts of New Straits Times interview with Japan’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Tadashi Imai.
Pak-China sign agreement to enforce EHP from January next
10-Dec-2005 Pakistan Link
Pakistan and China signed an agreement to enforce Early Harvest Programme (EHP) reducing tariff on a number of industrial and agriculture products from January 1, 2006.
US-Peru FTA (2005): summary
10-Dec-2005 USTR
From the Office of the US Trade Representative.
India, Asean to consider free-trade pact by ’07
10-Dec-2005 Times of India
India and the Association of South East Asian Nations aim to forge a free-trade agreement by the start of ’07, both sides said after a meeting on Friday.