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US lawmaker details obstacles to free trade deals
12-Mar-2009 Reuters
Panama, Colombia and South Korea need to resolve a number of outstanding concerns before Congress will approve free trade pacts with each of those countries, a US lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Seoul seeks ‘concrete measures‘ on free trade
12-Mar-2009 FT
South Korea is pushing for the G20 countries to support a moratorium on new import tariffs at next month’s meeting, according to President Lee Myung-bak.
EU-India FTA - trade in goods chapter (draft Oct 2007)
11-Mar-2009
NZ trade deal low on envoy’s to-do list
11-Mar-2009 NZ Herald
Don’t misread Kirk’s testimony to yesterday’s meeting of the US Senate Finance Committee as an omen that the last rites are imminent for New Zealand’s prospective regional free-trade deal with the world’s largest consumer nation. Instead focus on Kirk’s confident statement during his Senate confirmation hearing that President Barack Obama will seek renewed trade promotion authority (or fast-track) at the "appropriate time".
FTA with Seoul unacceptable, says USTR nominee
11-Mar-2009 Chosun Ilbo
The US trade representative-designate on Monday said Washington’s free trade agreement with Seoul was unfair in its current state and warned his government could ditch the deal. The FTA "as it is just simply isn’t fair, and if we don’t get that right we’ll be prepared to step away from that," Ron Kirk said in his confirmation hearing at the US Senate Finance Committee.
Free Trade: Passing The Baton to Obama
10-Mar-2009
When it comes to further advancing free trade initiatives, it really makes no difference which party controls, congress or the presidency.
China courts Costa Rica; expands its presence in Washington’s backyard
10-Mar-2009 COHA
Costa Rica and China may seem to be an unlikely pairing; however, both governments have moved to deepen their ties and cement regional integration based on the pursuit of a free trade agreement, which was brought a step closer by the completion of the first round of negotiations on January 19.
India postpones FTA with ASEAN
10-Mar-2009 Jakarta Post
Six years of negotiations have yet to convince India to sign a much-awaited free trade deal with ASEAN, as scheduled last week during the group’s summit. India would only ink a deal after it concludes its April general elections.
US postpones free trade negotiations with NZ
9-Mar-2009 Scoop
New Zealand research and education network ARENA today welcomed news that the United States has postponed trade negotiations with New Zealand pending an overall review of US trade policy, and says that the New Zealand government should follow suit.
Nepal asks India for trade treaty with longer shelf life
9-Mar-2009 The Hindu
India and Nepal are seeking to update their nearly 60-year-old trade treaty with the new draft expected to be ready before India goes to staggered polls from April 16.
Taiwan’s China opening aided by opposition scandal
9-Mar-2009 Taiwan News
Taiwan’s main opposition party vehemently opposes President Ma Ying-jeou’s push for closer relations with China, including a proposed FTA. But the Democratic Progressive Party is so enfeebled that it can’t do much about it.
In the United States, 350 civil groups oppose FTA
9-Mar-2009 La Estrella
Around 350 US national, state and local groups from religious to environmental sectors, representing a combined total membership of 18 million, sent a letter to the House of Representatives asking lawmakers not to ratify the free trade agreement between Panama and the United States, insisting that Panama’s economy thrives on banking secrecy and money laundering
MoI positive for completion of Pak-US BIT draft in April
8-Mar-2009 Daily Times
Pakistan’s Ministry of Investment (MoI) is hopeful for the completion of mutually agreed final draft of Pak-US Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) by April this year, as bilateral consultations on unresolved issues have already started afresh.
Obama puts off trade talks
8-Mar-2009 Stuff
Just weeks from the start of talks on a trans-Pacific partnership deal, encompassing New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Brunei and the United States, President Barack Obama has put the talks on hold.
Towards a Canada-EU Economic Trade Agreement and Beyond
8-Mar-2009 OpEd News
It came out during the Canadian election in October of 2008, that the Conservative government was set to begin negotiations with the European Union (EU) on deeper economic integration
Premier pledges no Chinese workers under trade pact
7-Mar-2009 Radio Taiwan International
In response to fierce criticism over a trade pact the government may sign with China, Premier Liu Chao-shiuan has pledged that Taiwan’s sovereignty will not be affected by such a deal and that no Chinese workers will be introduced to Taiwan.
Industry tycoon endorses Taiwan-China trade pact plan
7-Mar-2009
TSMC Chairman Morris Chang endorsed the government’s plan to sign free trade pacts with Taiwan’s major trading partners, saying Saturday that it would not be "too late" to sign a proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China by the end of this year.
EU trade chief certain FTA can clear car hurdle
7-Mar-2009 Joong Ang Daily
The European Union’s trade chief is confident she can convince member states to back a free trade pact with Korea, despite fierce opposition from the bloc’s embattled car industry.
Serbia, Iran to sign free trade agreement
6-Mar-2009 IHT
Serbia says it plans to sign a free trade agreement with Iran to boost economic cooperation.
Expanding Canadian Trade Horizons
6-Mar-2009
It is clear that Canada must lessen its dependency on the U.S., but if future free trade deals are based on the failed NAFTA model, they could prove costly.