ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
The current state of play in the Doha Round negotiations underlines the importance of stronger bilateral and regional trading agreements for India. As of now, India has concluded trading agreements with Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore. In the regional context, Safta and Bimstec are yet to really takeoff.
This paper shows how free trade agreements (FTAs) in Southeast Asia are essentially a means to secure foreign direct investment (FDI) at the expense of labour standards. It explores the significance of FDI in export-oriented industrialisation and for economic transformation in Southeast Asia, with emphasis on the increasing global competition for FDI.
After the negotiations on a possible Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China, the Chilean government already started a route to conquer the rest of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. The list has 11 countries.
A World Trade Organization ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December is looming as key to the shape of free trade in Asia in the 21st century as countries within the region intensify their interest in integrating their markets.
Korea's top trade official voiced pessimism about the prospects for signing a free trade agreement with Japan and the United States, but was more hopeful about future trade accords with other nations.
Move over World Trade Organization (WTO), regional trade arrangements are here to rule.
With a fast growing trade volume, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are trying to show the world that the planned free trade area will be an accelerator for regional economy.
Australia and New Zealand want a comprehensive free trade agreement with ASEAN, but some ASEAN nations have no competition policy, and reject any negotiations on intellectual property and government procurement.
There has been a spate of trade agreements signed between countries in recent years - from the same region and even beyond. And this may not necessarily have to do with the fact that it has been a tough going for the multilateral trading system. Regionalism may have its own dynamics.
With cooperation between China and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) deepening, the construction of a China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA) has entered a full-spectrum cooperation period, said Chong Quan, spokesman for China's Commerce Ministry.
