ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
Having submitted a revised offer to break the deadlock over the free trade negotiations with the Asean, India has now made clear that the pacts on services and investment will have to be implemented within a year of the implementation of the free trade agreement on goods.
Vietnam wants ASEAN to weigh the interest of all its members before deciding on the Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with its six East Asia partners, an official said Sunday.
Trade Minister Phil Goff is cautiously keen on a plan to create the world's largest trading bloc which would include Asean members and New Zealand and Australia.
While everybody has been rushing to ink Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), no thanks to the consistent failure in global trade talks, questions are raised as to whether its adverse consequences are being ignored.
The United States will sign a pact with Southeast Asia next week to boost trade and investment, but the plan has been scaled down because of Myanmar, whose poor human rights record has hindered trade relations, officials said Saturday.
The Japanese private sector is pivotal in pushing the initiative, as they want to dangle what is undoubtedly a carrot for Asean countries to propel the proposed East Asia Free Trade Area (EAFTA).
In the wake of the collapse of the Doha talks in the World Trade Organization (WTO), negotiations for the Philippines to enter into an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement (FTA) have become more urgent for industrialized countries. But independent think-tank IBON Foundation warns that entering into an FTA could be even more dangerous than liberalization under the WTO.
In what is seen as a dramatic move, India on Friday slashed its controversial exclusion list of products for tariff reduction from 850 to 560 to kick-start the recently-suspended negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Asean.
Labour and environmental issues will still be included in the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiation between Australia, New Zealand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a senior New Zealand trade official said.
