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China issues a first draft of its new foreign investment law for public comment
17-Feb-2015 JD Supra
The Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China recently (19 January 2015) published a first draft of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Investments (the Draft Law), for public consultation.
Andrew Robb pushes for a US sweetener in TPP
17-Feb-2015 The Australian
Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb is pushing for greater access to the US market for Australian sugar exports as expectations mount that the giant 12-nation Trans-­Pacific Partnership could be wrapped up by May
South Korea bans Canadian beef exports in light of BSE
17-Feb-2015 iPolitics
South Korea says it’s banning imports of Canadian beef after a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or “mad cow disease,” was found on a northern Alberta farm earlier this week, despite reassurances from Canada’s agriculture minister the case would not impact Canadian beef trade.
Pakistan: Govt in process of signing FTAs with ASEANs
17-Feb-2015 Daily Times
Pakistan’s National Assembly was informed that the government is in process to ink Free Trade Agreement–II with China and also efforts were in process to sign Free Trade Agreements with ASEAN countries.
Tobacco: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
16-Feb-2015 Last Week Tonight
Thanks to tobacco industry regulations and marketing restrictions in the US, smoking rates have dropped dramatically. John Oliver explains how tobacco companies are keeping their business strong overseas.
Dar briefed on BIT regime
16-Feb-2015 The News
Pakistan Finance minister says the government will review its existing bilateral investment treaties and develop a template for future ones.
US appeals to Japanese business to help push for trade pact
13-Feb-2015 AP
Japan and the US are moving closer to reaching agreement on market opening measures needed to conclude a Pacific Rim trade pact, a top US envoy said Friday, urging Japanese business leaders to help bridge the last, difficult disagreements.
India in no hurry to begin bilateral investment talks with US
13-Feb-2015 Hindu Business Line
New Delhi wants to finalise model text on investment treaties first
TiSA must include a gold-standard clause to protect public services
13-Feb-2015 EurActiv
European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions pushes for a compromise: a clause which would clearly exclude as widely as possible public services from the scope of TiSA.
Ukraine and Israel agree to intensify free-trade area talks
13-Feb-2015 Ukrainian Journal
Ukraine and Israel have agreed to intensify their talks over the creation of a free trade area (FTA), Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlov Klimkin has said.
Call for transparency in new generation trade deals
13-Feb-2015 The Lancet
"As health practitioners in seven of the involved Pacific-Rim countries, we call on our governments to publicly release the full draft TPPA text, and to secure independent and comprehensive assessments of the health and human rights consequences of the proposed agreement for each nation," write 27 professionals in The Lancet.
Protect our climate and health, not multinational profits
13-Feb-2015 Scoop
This week’s edition of world-leading medical journal The Lancet includes a call by 27 health experts from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, the USA, and Vietnam for the TPPA to be made public so its overall health impacts can be assessed.
The secret business plan that could spell the end for SMEs
13-Feb-2015 SME Insider
While benefits of TTIP to big business are clear, SMEs seem set to lose out, reports SME Insider.
Go to prison for sharing files? That’s what Hollywood wants in the secret TPP deal
13-Feb-2015 EFF
Like the various other digital copyright enforcement provisions in TPP, the criminal enforcement language loosely reflects the United States’ DMCA but is abstracted enough that the US can pressure other nations to enact rules that are much worse for users.
EU Commission sets out TTIP regulatory cooperation principles
13-Feb-2015 Chemical Watch
The European Commission has published the draft legal text for a chapter on general regulatory cooperation which it presented to the US during the latest round of negotiations for a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), held last week in Brussels.
Germany: Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) is unconstitutional
13-Feb-2015 Stop TTIP
A report authored by Prof. Dr. Siegfried Broß and recently published by the German Hans Böckler Stiftung concludes that the Investor-State-Dispute Settlement (ISDS) tribunals currently planned to be included in the TTIP and CETA free-trade agreements are not in accordance with Germany’s constitution.
TPPA secret while EU releases TTIP documents
12-Feb-2015 Scoop
New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser needs to explain why NZ must keep TPPA secret while EU releases TTIP documents, argues Prof Jane Kelsey
AIPAC behind new US/EU trade legislation designed to thwart BDS
12-Feb-2015 Mondoweiss
AIPAC is behind the draft US legislation that would make the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership being negotiated between the US and EU conditional on whether the EU takes action to stop BDS, according to US sources.
US bill seeks to tie massive trade pact to EU rejection of BDS
11-Feb-2015 Times of Israel
A new US Congressional bill, "The Israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement Act", seeks to make rejection of BDS a requirement for Washington to sign TTIP.
India, Israel FTA not likely to be signed soon
11-Feb-2015 Business Standard
The India and Israel free trade agreement is not going to be reality soon, even as Israel plans expand its footprint in the Indian market in areas such as water management, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.