ISDS Case Map
Thailand
There are signs that many Americans are becoming more unwilling to bear the burdens of free trade.
The impact of a tentative free-trade agreement with Japan on the automobile industry's import tariff structure may prompt the US-based giant Ford Motor Co. to reconsider planned investments in Thailand.
Japan has reached a general accord for a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with Thailand, a key trade and diplomatic partner in Asia. Expectations for a substantial and beneficial agreement were high, but the deal has ended up a deep disappointment because Japan took the line of least resistance.
Bilateral free-trade agreements typically revolve around discussions of quotas and tariffs and the principle of market access for traders. But an even more crucial component is rules of origin. In the end, an agreement without clear, practical and fair rules is nothing but a can of food with no opener _ you know the food is in there, you just can't eat it.
The long-lasting negotiation for the Thai-Japanese free trade area (FTA) covering more than 7,000 product items has finally been wrapped up with an agreement to be signed in next April and effective in September 2006.
Despite a few sticky issues, the leader of the Thai negotiating team reckons the Thai-Japanese Free Trade Agreement could be ready to be signed by the two leaders next April.
A Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) between India and Singapore has been signed on the 29th June in New Delhi by the Prime Ministers of two countries.
A high-level team from Thailand is visiting New Delhi on Monday to discuss the details of the proposed India-Thailand free trade agreement with Indian officials.
Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa will visit Thailand possibly on July 31 in a bid to strike a basic deal on a bilateral free-trade agreement in time for the end-of-July deadline set by the two countries.
While United States trade negotiators seek to strengthen intellectual property protection under the proposed Thai-US free trade area agreement, Thailand is raising the issue of genetic resources and ways to guard against biopiracy.
