A former leader of Australia's governing Liberal party, John Hewson, has questioned whether a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China will provide any great benefits for Australian exporters.
As free trade agreement between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is set to be effective from June 1st exporters believe the development would prove a boon to increase the trade figures by 100 percent and major imports from the Island are expected to cost 50 percent lesser.
Despite the pitfalls and opportunities inherent in FTAs, they are sweeping the world and will continue growing as long as the World Trade Organisation is unable to coordinate comprehensive tariff reductions worldwide, experts said at a Bangkok seminar yesterday. Thus, Thai exporters were advised to try to work within the confines of bilateral and regional pacts.
The text of the framework of the free trade agreement between the Mercosur and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is ready to be singed, a Brazilian foreign ministry official has disclosed.
The proposed Thai-Japanese free trade agreement should be carefully considered so as not to disadvantage other trading partners, European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told Thailand yesterday.
South Korea and the United States will hold a third working-level meeting this week to review the feasibility of a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
Not too long ago, the entire country and the National Assembly agonized over the ratification of Korea-Chile Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Its final National Assembly passage was delayed from the strong opposition of many people, particularly from farmers. It is remarkable to learn that the Korean government is now either negotiating or planning to negotiate with as many as 50 countries to complete their FTAs by 2007.
Thailand is poised to open at least four new consulates in China, and is accelerating the development of logistics operations with China in anticipation of the birth of the Chinese-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Free Trade aAea in 2010, Deputy Foreign Minister Preecha Laohapongchana revealed today.
The global experience on FTAs suggests that regional FTAs (e.g. EU) and those between the North and the South (NAFTA) work. However, South-South FTAs are less inspiring. A key issue is whether the economies of the countries entering into an FTA complement or compete with each other.
The current situation of the FTAAs negotiating process and the campaign of the people’s struggle against this annexation plan devised by the US Government will be analysed from today in the Fourth Hemispheric Summit of the Battle Against FTAAs.
The European Community and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to study the potential for a free trade agreement between the two groups, trade officials said on Wednesday.
Thai textile and garment producers say they will lose opportunities to sell to Japan if conditions requested by Tokyo are incorporated into a free trade area (FTA) agreement now being negotiated.
