The Thai government must become more efficient and enact more ironclad laws in order to avoid unnecessary legal disputes with US investors once the Thailand-US free trade area (FTA) agreement takes effect, says a local researcher.
One of many vexing questions remaining to be worked out by negotiators of the draft convention for the
protection of the diversity of cultural products and artistic
expression will be the relationship between the proposed convention and existing
and future trade and investment treaties which may apply to cultural
industries and which might impose restrictions on government cultural
policies.
Rachid Mohamed Rachid, appointed to the industry and foreign trade portfolio last July, speaks to Al-Ahram Weekly about his efforts to reinvigorate the industrial sector and to integrate Egypt more fully into the global economy.
China has proposed a study group to stimulate free trade agreements between Korea, China and Japan bringing together governments, businesses and academics.
Capping off his tour of China, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan yesterday said he had encouraged Beijing to support a free-trade agreement (FTA) between Taiwan and ASEAN, while elaborating on the role of cross-party communications between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party.
Thai auto parts manufacturers and industrialists remain adamantly opposed to liberalising car imports under the proposed Thai-Japan free trade area agreement.
This week, to the fanfare of headlines trumpeting talk of a $24 billion bonanza, Australia and China announced the start of formal negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA). However, the Federal Government's pursuit of FTAs all over the globe has its detractors who argue that they are a sort of Trojan horse for protectionism and they also damage relations with countries that we don't have deals with.
Recent writings on trade policy have focused excessively on free trade agreements/regional trade agreements (FTAs/RTAs) and their usefulness to India. The importance attached to this topic, at the expense of serious discussions on second-generation trade reforms, is frightening.
Guatemala has expressed keen desire to expand economic ties with India, and has said that the Government was working towards easing visa procedures to facilitate the visits of Indian businessmen and tourists.
Jamaica and Mexico have agreed to joint action to promote bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, following discussions between Prime Minister PJ Patterson and Mexican president Vincente Fox yesterday.
Havana and Caracas signed a bilateral trade agreement under which Cuba will purchase more than 412 million dollars worth of Venezuelan products this year.
