October 2013

Taiwan’s services agreement with China triggers concerns

BBC News, 28 October, 2013
For 40 years, Wu Wei-tung’s family has operated a traditional Chinese medicine wholesale and retail business on Taipei’s well-known Dihua Street. More..

Free trade agreement shows off Nova Scotia’s superior products: MacKay

The News, 28 October, 2013
At a roundtable discussion on Oct. 26, Justice Minister Peter MacKay said the Canadian-European free trade agreement allows Nova Scotia to be recognized for its superior meats, seafood. More..

Pre-Bali talks kick off in Dhaka

Dhaka Tribune, 26 October, 2013
Failure in negotiations on trade facilitation in the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting in Bali will weaken the multilateral trading system, the interests of least developed countries (LDCs) like. More..

Huawei a key to Chinese trade talks

Sydney Morning Herald, 25 October, 2013
Chinese telecoms company Huawei is set to become a pawn in the controversial free trade agreement (FTA) review between China and Australia. More..

Canada, EU Reach Trade Pact

ICTSD, 24 October, 2013
Canada and the EU announced that they have reached an “agreement in principle” last week on a comprehensive bilateral trade pact linking two of the world’s largest economies. More..

US-China trade talks a ‘turning point’ in relations

China Daily, 24 October, 2013
The Bilateral Investment Treaty talks between China and the United States can be an “inflection point” in economic cooperation, a high-profile diplomat said on Wednesday. More..

Indonesia to prioritize palm oil in talks with EU

Jakarta Globe, 23 October, 2013
The Indonesian government has made it clear that the inclusion of palm-oil products is at the top of its priorities in the talks on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with the European Union. More..

Japan, U.S. agree to accelerate TPP-linked bilateral talks

Global Post, 23 October, 2013
Japan and the United States on Wednesday agreed to accelerate bilateral trade talks as part of efforts to realize a trans-Pacific free trade accord by year-end. More..

EU Expects Economic, Trade Talks with China

CRI English, 23 October, 2013
The European Commission (EC) said Tuesday that the upcoming economic and trade talks with China would be an important opportunity to improve their economic and trade relations. More..

Stalled Korean trade talks seen as long overdue

Radio New Zealand, 23 October, 2013
The free trade lobby group, International Business Forum, says New Zealand’s exporters are being disadvantaged in South Korea and the resumption of trade talks is long overdue. More..

Taiwan hopes to sign 5 agreements with Japan by year-end

Global Post, 22 October, 2013
Taiwan hopes to sign five mostly trade-related agreements with Japan by the end of this year to pave the way for the start of talks on a free trade arrangement. More..

Japan, U.S. start 3rd TPP-linked talks on autos, trade barriers

Global Post, 21 October, 2013
Japan and the United States started their third round of bilateral trade negotiations Monday in Washington on auto trade. More..

Beijing, Brussels move toward investment talks

ECNS, 19 October, 2013
China and the European Commission are expected to launch negotiations on a long-awaited pact on investment at the November leaders’ summit. More..

European Union and Canada reach landmark free trade deal after 4 years of negotiations

Times Colonist, 18 October, 2013
Canada and the European Union have struck a tentative free trade agreement meant to boost growth and employment, officials from both economies said Friday in Brussels. More..

Japan, U.S. to hold 3rd TPP-linked talks on autos, trade barriers

Global Post, 18 October, 2013
Japan and the United States will hold their third round of bilateral trade negotiations next week in Washington on auto trade-related issues and nontariff. More..

European Commission – Directorate-General for Trad : The EU’s bilateral trade and investment agreements – where are we?

4 Traders, 18 October, 2013
According to IMF estimates, over the next years, 90% of world demand will be generated outside the EU. That is why it is a key priority for the EU to open up more market opportunities for European business. More..

Free trade agreement talk heats up

Weekly Times, 17 October, 2013
Finalising free trade agreements is a must for the Australian agriculture industry, the National Farmers Federation says. More..

Anfaco insists on excluding Thai tuna from EU-Thailand FTA

FIS, 16 October, 2013
The National Association of Manufacturers of Canned Fish and Shellfish (Anfaco Cecopesca) is to once again ask the authorities of the European Union. More..

Conservatives open door to free trade with EU after reaching cheese import deal

National Post, 16 October, 2013
The Conservatives have reached a deal with the European Union over cheese imports that opens the door to a multi-billion free trade deal with the world’s largest economy. More..

Japan, Australia confirm stronger security cooperation

Global Post, 15 October, 2013
Japan and Australia confirmed on Tuesday plans to strengthen cooperation in security, with Tokyo expressing its willingness to work with Canberra. More..

Divisions grow in govt over farm buyouts

Sky News, 15 October, 2013
Prime Minister Tony Abbott hopes to finalise a free-trade agreement with China within 12 months. More..

Peru’s FTA with Thailand to increase exports of grapes and fish

Andina, 14 October, 2013
The recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Thailand is expected to allow Peruvian producers to increase their exports of grapes, canning food, and fishmeal, the Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister, Magali Silva, announced Monday. More..

Trade agreement that allows battery eggs into the UK ‘morally wrong’

Farming UK, 14 October, 2013
Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC), says it is “morally wrong” that battery eggs outlawed under European Union rules are now being allowed into the EU as a result of a trade agreement with Ukraine. More..

EU Parliament panel may raise FTA issue with Anand Sharma

The Hindu, 14 October, 2013
India-EU free trade agreement is expected to be a major issue that will come up in the meeting between a high-level delegation of European Parliament’s panel on international trade and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. More..

Green and consumer groups voice fears over EU-US trade agreement

Financial Times, 13 October, 2013
As negotiations get under way for an EU-US trade agreement, European environmental and consumer groups are mobilising to. More..

Anti-alcohol groups oppose FTAs

Bangkok Post, 10 October, 2013
Governments must not allow international trade treaties such as Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to undermine efforts to protect the public from the dangers of alcohol, the Seoul Declaration on alcohol control. More..

Pakistan and Turkey: Call for exploring true potential of bilateral trade

Business Recorder, 10 October, 2013
Turkish Ambassador, Sadik Babur Girgin, has said that the true potential of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Turkey has not been fully utilised yet, calling that it is high time to explore the enormous trade potential. More..

RI, Japan agree to renegotiate economic partnership deals

Jakarta Post, 09 October, 2013
Indonesia and Japan have agreed to renegotiate their economic partnership agreements amid growing concern that the deals had failed to benefit both parties equally. More..

EU-China trade talks set for November launch

EU Observer, 09 October, 2013
The EU will in November launch talks aimed at negotiating its first investment agreement with the Chinese government. More..

Bilateral, regional, multilateral: Trade negotiations are warming up

The Interpreter, 09 October, 2013
The so-called free-trade agreements (FTAs) are actually preferential trade agreements (PTAs), where a country gives up the right to deal with the cheapest foreign supplier in order to get favoured access. More..

US trade official says to seek TPP deal by year-end

Chicago Tribune, 08 October, 2013
The United States maintained it hopes to seal an ambitious trade pact on schedule by year-end despite resistance in some countries and the absence of President Barack Obama. More..

Why Abbott should dump Free Trade Agreements

The ABC, 08 October, 2013
Tony Abbott wants to revive free trade agreements with some of Australia’s most important trading partners, including China. Sounds good, right. More..

Peruvian President Holds Bilateral Talks At Bali Summit

Bernama, 08 October, 2013
Peru’s President Ollanta Humala held talks with his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on the sidelines of the 21st Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. More..

US Commerce Secretary pledges TPP transparency, but not now

Tempo, 07 October, 2013
US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker defended the secrecy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks on Sunday. More..

Free Trade Agreement may double India-Israel trade to $10 bn in 5 years

The Economic Times, 07 October, 2013
Israel today said its trade with India can be doubled to USD 10 billion in the next five years, if both the sides work towards concluding the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between them. More..

Chinese, Australian Leaders Pledge to Boost Ties

CRI, 06 October, 2013
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott agreed in Indonesia’s Bali on Sunday to push forward bilateral ties and speed up free trade negotiation. More..

Amid shutdown, US cancels trade talks with the EU

The Hill, 04 October, 2013
Trade talks between the United States and the European Union set for next week have been nixed because of the government shutdown. More..

Newly inked Thailand-Chile FTA expected to open more

The Nation, 05 October, 2013
Thailand should be able to penetrate not only the Chilean market, but also that country’s 60 bilateral trade partners, after signing a free-trade agreement with the South American nation, according to the Trade Negotiations Department. More..

TTIP talks prepared despite U.S. gov’t shutdown: U.S. negotiators

CCTV, 03 October, 2013
U.S. negotiators said Thursday they were ready and well-prepared for a second round of bilateral free trade talks with the European Union (EU) despite the U.S. government shutdown. More..

Chilean president travels to Thailand to sign free trade agreement

The Santigo Times, 03 October, 2013
President Sebastián Piñera will sign a free trade agreement with Thailand on Friday during the outgoing president’s fifth official tour to South East Asia. More..

China keen on inking trade agreement during PM’s visit

Deccan Herald, 03 October, 2013
Beijing is keen to ink a regional trade arrangement with New Delhi during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China later this month. More..

Coalition vows FTAs with China, Korea and Japan

The Australian, 03 October, 2013
TRADE Minister Andrew Robb wants to sign free trade agreements with South Korea, Japan and China by the end of the Abbott government’s first term in a move that promises a major boost for the nation’s farmers and services sector. More..

Massive international trade agreement could boost business, slash regulations

VT Digger, 02 October, 2013
New international trade agreements could be a boon to Vermont’s import and export businesses, but some legislators worry that regulatory “harmonization” undermines the state’s authority and may threaten other sectors. More..

Cavassing China: China’s FTA rush

The Financial Express, 02 October, 2013
China’s external engagement policies are showing marked changes under the new leadership. More..

Chile and Canada upgrade FTA to include financial services

The Santiago Times, 01 October, 2013
Chilean and Canadian officials announced the expansion of their existing free trade agreement (FTA) Monday. More..