ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
Thailand will not be included in a free trade agreement to be signed between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)and South Korea this week, the Philippine trade secretary said Monday.
Southeast Asian trade ministers, pressured by China and India's growing economic might, will gather this week in Manila to chart plans to accelerate their daunting ambition of creating a European-style economic community.
They will also assess progress of ASEAN's various free trade negotiations.
After breaking the ice by launching the preferential trade agreement among Developing Eight (D-8) countries, Indonesian Trade Minister Mari E. Pangestu envisions that the agreement would lead to a free trade arrangement for member countries in less than 15 years.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the proposed Indo-Asean free trade agreement (FTA) would not affect Indian farmers.
Thailand is the only Asean member not planning to sign the free-trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea and will thus lose export competitiveness, due to higher import tariffs.
The Indian Government's move to go in for more Free Trade Agreements with Asian countries has run into difficulties with Congress President Sonia Gandhi asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "very carefully scrutinise" India-ASEAN FTA to safeguard interests of domestic farmers.
Having concluded free trade agreements with SAARC, Singapore and Thailand, India is pursuing similar arrangements with several other Asian countries, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, said here on Friday.
Bilateral and regional trade and investment liberalisation measures undertaken in the context of Asean complement the opportunities offered by Malaysia's growing economy, thus providing an ideal base for companies to penetrate the Asean market, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said Thursday.
Under the deal, South Korea designated 200 agricultural products that will be exempt from tariff reductions due to their effect on local farmers
ASEAN's free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea would recognize products made in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the inter-Korean project, as South Korean products. This is in stark contrast to the politically sensitive nature of Kaesong in concurrent negotiations for an FTA with the United States.
