18-May-2009
Business Mirror
THE European Commission said it has not been getting commitments from the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations in the negotiations for a free-trade agreement but welcomed member countries of Asean to push for bilateral deals with the regional bloc.
17-May-2009
Islands Business
Despite the existence of agreements among the Pacific island states, intra-regional trade has been low, mainly due to the massive distances and the lack of products to sell one another. In the words of an official of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat: “The islands are hardly going to sell a lot of coconuts and fish to each other.”
15-May-2009
Brooks Foreign Policy Review
Over the last decade, ASEAN has negotiated free trade agreements (FTA) at breakneck speeds, signing deals with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. It is also in the process of negotiating FTAs with India, South Korea, and China. The deal with China has garnered much attention, because it will create the third largest common market by trade volume, with a population of 1.8 billion and a US$2 trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
14-May-2009
American Chronicle
US Senator Bob Casey, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke calling for the finalizing of a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with Russia to encourage US business deals and investments in Russia.
