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De Venecia proposes Phil-Korean trade partnership accord
18-Feb-2005     Manila Bulletin
Philippine Speaker Jose de Venecia has proposed to South Korean Prime Minister Lee Hae Chan and Speaker of Parliament Kim Won Ki the opening of negotiations for a Philippine-Korean Economic Partnership Agreement that would lead to large-scale investments, trade, and technology transfer to the country.
Tifa draft finalised
16-Feb-2005    
Dhaka and Washington through a two-day negotiation ending yesterday finalised the draft of Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (Tifa) paving the way further for creating a platform to talk bilateral trade issues.
Peter Mandelson speech on 'Strengthening the Lisbon Strategy'
16-Feb-2005     European Commission
"The hoped-for success of Doha should be complemented by bilateral or regional initiatives, such as Regional Trade Agreements with Mercosur and the Gulf Cooperation Council, which allow the pursuit of a wider agenda."
Oman 'targets July FTA deal'
16-Feb-2005     Gulf Daily News
Oman will sign a free trade agreement with the US in July, its Trade and Industry Minister Maqbool bin Ali said yesterday.
US cites progress in Andean talks but agriculture remains sticking point
16-Feb-2005     BNA
Negotiators working on a free trade agreement between the United States and the three Andean countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru made "strong advances" in the latest round of talks in a number of areas -- including market access and dispute settlement -- but still have much work to do on agriculture, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas Regina Vargo said.
Prosper-thy-neighbour in South Asia
15-Feb-2005    
The postponement of the Dhaka Summit of Saarc, twice over the past two months, is a setback for the fledgling process of economic integration in South Asia. But that should not prevent India from taking unilateral initiatives for promoting industry and supply capacities in its neighbours, especially Bangladesh.
Dhaka softens on graft, transparency in TIFA: Draft agreement almost ready
15-Feb-2005    
Bangladesh and US trade officials are close to finalising a draft for a trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA), as Dhaka softened its positions on key debated issues.
WTO wrong to abandon core values
15-Feb-2005    
Free trade agreements are popping up everywhere. In its first term the Bush administration pushed four through Congress and started another three. China is negotiating FTAs with Chile and New Zealand. And Australia has negotiated three with Washington, Singapore and Thailand, and is in the process of dealing with Beijing. Not everyone thinks they are good.
The case for a China trade deal
15-Feb-2005    
The Howard Government is moving inevitably towards a free trade agreement with China. That is no bad thing. In the absence of any meaningful progress at the World Trade Organisation, a medium-sized economy such as Australia has few options but to pursue bilateral pacts with powerhouse economies such as China.
Maqbool cites reasons for move to begin free-trade pact talks with US
15-Feb-2005    
Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, minister of commerce and industry, yesterday cited two reasons for the Sultanate's decision to begin negotiations for a free-trade agreement with the US. He was addressing Omani businessmen, private sector officials and representatives of the companies operating in the Sultanate during a meeting at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.