ISDS Case Map
US
Don't misread Kirk's testimony to yesterday's meeting of the US Senate Finance Committee as an omen that the last rites are imminent for New Zealand's prospective regional free-trade deal with the world's largest consumer nation. Instead focus on Kirk's confident statement during his Senate confirmation hearing that President Barack Obama will seek renewed trade promotion authority (or fast-track) at the "appropriate time".
The US trade representative-designate on Monday said Washington's free trade agreement with Seoul was unfair in its current state and warned his government could ditch the deal. The FTA "as it is just simply isn't fair, and if we don't get that right we'll be prepared to step away from that," Ron Kirk said in his confirmation hearing at the US Senate Finance Committee.
New Zealand research and education network ARENA today welcomed news that the United States has postponed trade negotiations with New Zealand pending an overall review of US trade policy, and says that the New Zealand government should follow suit.
Around 350 US national, state and local groups from religious to environmental sectors, representing a combined total membership of 18 million, sent a letter to the House of Representatives asking lawmakers not to ratify the free trade agreement between Panama and the United States, insisting that Panama's economy thrives on banking secrecy and money laundering
Pakistan's Ministry of Investment (MoI) is hopeful for the completion of mutually agreed final draft of Pak-US Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) by April this year, as bilateral consultations on unresolved issues have already started afresh.
While the India-US civil nuclear deal has opened "the door even wider" for US exports, Washington says India's tariff and tax regime, intellectual property rights policies, investment climate and regulatory hurdles still pose a problem.
At a hearing on proposed free trade negotiations with countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership area (TPP), the US National Council of Textile Organisations opposed the proposed inclusion of Vietnam in the negotiations and said the textile industry would oppose any agreement that included Vietnam.
Ruling and opposition party lawmakers have tentatively agreed to postpone until April a decision on ratifying the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement concluded in 2007.
54 democrat congressmen sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking him to forego the Free Trade Agreement with Panama, because it has refused to sign any tax information exchange treaties.
The National Assembly passed a bill yesterday allowing law firms from the United States and countries that have free trade agreements with South Korea to set up local branches to provide legal consulting services.
