ISDS Case Map
ASEAN
Thousands of workers from across West Java staged a rally in Bandung on Wednesday, demanding the implementation of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement be postponed in Indonesia.
Indonesia's coordinating minister for the economy, Hatta Rajasa, said on Monday that a letter had been sent to ASEAN seeking "further discussion" of its obligation to reduce tariffs.
Australia’s free trade agreement with New Zealand and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations came into effect, removing tariffs on grape exports to Malaysia and wheat sales to the Philippines.
China sees the agreement as a way of securing supplies of raw materials, while countries in ASEAN see opportunities in China's huge market.
A free trade agreement between China and its Southeast Asian neighbours, which takes full effect from January 1, will help China fill its urgent need for natural resources, a senior commerce official said on Tuesday.
Continuing political turmoil in the military-ruled Burma have caused major hurdles in the proposed free-trade deals being negotiated by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with the European Union, Canada and the United States.
When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, China and 10 Southeast Asian nations will usher in the world’s third-largest free trade area. While many industries are eager for tariffs to fall on everything from textiles and rubber to vegetable oils and steel, a few are nervously waiting to see whether the agreement will mean boom or bust for their businesses.
Thai authorities are taking precautions to shield businesses and farmers from the fall in farm product prices after tariffs are cut under the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) at the start of 2010.
"While we don't lose sight of our ultimate goal of achieving an agreement within a regional framework, I welcome today's decision which will allow us to move forward and re-engage with this important region through negotiations with individual ASEAN member states," EU Trade Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said.
While local industries are seeking a delay in the full implementation of the free trade agreement (FRA) with China, to start in January, China says this stands little chance of succeeding.
