ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
New Zealand could be sidelined from trading with some of the world's fastest-growing economies if it fails to push ahead with a network of Asian free trade deals, Associate Minister for Trade Negotiations Jim Sutton says.
A government policy-setting panel on Friday welcomed a proposal by the trade minister to launch negotiations between Japan and its 15 Asian neighbors to create a free trade zone, and discussed whether to accept more foreign workers amid the aging of society, economic and fiscal policy minister Kaoru Yosano said.
More than three years after President George W Bush unveiled an initiative to forge free-trade agreements with Southeast Asian nations, a deal aimed at prising open the 500-million-strong regional market remains elusive.
Japan's sponsorship of a vast free trade area including most of Asia, Australia and New Zealand is expected to be on the agenda when Associate Trade Minister Jim Sutton visits Tokyo later this month.
The Japanese government plans to propose the formation of an Asian free-trade zone which could include half the world's population and rival the EU and NAFTA, an official of the trade ministry said.
The India-Asean Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has hit a roadblock with Agriculture Ministry objecting to inclusion of farm products like pepper, rubber, palm oil, coffee and tea in the tariff liberalisation programme.
India is pushing ahead on negotiations for free trade agreements with a series of Asian and Middle East countries that are expected to result in the emergence of the world's largest free trade area by population.
The European Union (EU) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) are still studying the possibility of having free trade agreements (FTAs) either on a regional basis or bilaterally with individual countries, says European Commission ambassador and head of delegation Thierry Rommel.
As Vietnam's bid to join the WTO comes to its conclusion, economic experts are drawing the public's attention to another topic: What should Vietnam do about free trade agreements (FTA) within ASEAN?
The Japanese government has decided to resume stalled talks with Asean over signing a free-trade deal from next month, as other Asian nations rush to conclude such agreements.
