ISDS Case Map
Malaysia
On Sunday 26 August more than 500 people staged a strong anti US-FTA protest in the centre of Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur. Most of the protesters were farmers from the northern rice-bowl state of Kedah, or workers and urban settlers.
Nobel laureate and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz believes that no country should enter into free trade agreements with the US, as none of the developing countries has benefited greatly from them.
The United States and Malaysia could finish talks on a free trade agreement in 2008, even though the Bush administration has lost key legislative authority, a top US trade official said on Monday.
“Malaysia has too many regulations and guidelines which hinders its competitiveness, free market and fair competition" EU ambassador to Malaysia said.
The conclusion of negotiations for the Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement may take longer than expected as Malaysia cannot agree to Australia's requests which go beyond the World Trade Organisation agenda, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said Monday.
Malaysia's ongoing negotiations with the United States on a free trade agreement (FTA) will not involve any of Malaysia's domestic policies such as that related to the special status for Bumiputeras, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Tuesday.
"Both sides would like to finish this as quickly as possible," a US official told reporters
Syria has proposed negotiation on a Malaysia-Syria free trade agreement (FTA) at the first joint trade commission meeting, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said today.
The results of negotiations for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) between Asean and India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have not been as expected and areas are still there where consensus have yet to reached.
Unexpected criticism of Malaysia's race-based affirmative-action policy by the European Union's top envoy reveals underlying concerns that this could be a major stumbling block to unrestricted market access for European multinational firms in the region.
