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  1. Negotiations

:: Across the board ::


This section contains news and analysis of sweeping developments that affect the overall push and pull towards FTAs and bilateral investment treaties. This means major trends relating to bilateralism, often with global consequences, and other cross-cutting issues. New developments arising from US politics, the WTO or South-South alliance-building, for instance, are often reported here as they tend to have systemic impacts.

last update: May 2012

Exclusive: EU says Chinese FTA possible, but wants market opening
22-May-2013     Reuters
The European Union is willing to deepen trade ties with China but wants to see concessions from Beijing first, documents seen by Reuters on Tuesday showed.
L'OMC a-t-elle encore un avenir ?
10-May-2013     La Tribune
Roberto Azedevo vient d'être choisi pour diriger l'institution à l'heure où les accords bilatéraux ont le vent en poupe. Ce type de contrats va pourtant à l'encontre du principe même de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC). L'institution internationale doit-elle se sentir menacée?
EU hesitant on free trade deal with China: Report
7-May-2013     AFP
Even as it seeks free trade deals with the United States and Japan, the EU sees little near-term prospect of a similar accord with China, one of the bloc's most important trading partners, a senior EU official said Tuesday.
Political corruption and the 'free trade' racket
30-Apr-2013     Al Jazeera
The US-EU free trade pact and TPP are about securing regulatory gains for major corporate interests, writes Dean Baker.
China left out of Obama free trade party
2-Apr-2013     FT
Obama's new trade approach might be characterised as ABC – Anyone But China.
Experts call for BRICS free trade pact
27-Mar-2013     China Daily
"BRICS should consider proposing a free trade agreement at the summit, regardless of whether it's feasible right now," said Wang Junwen, chairman of the China Association of International Trade.
Blanco: Free trade agreements are rendering WTO rules obsolete
21-Mar-2013     This Day
Dr. Herminio Blanco, the Mexican Candidate for the position of the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, says the rules being negotiated in the WTO are becoming obsolete when compared to free trade agreements negotiated all over the world.
CALL TO ACTION! Deal a decisive blow to Neoliberalism - End the WTO and Stop the new wave of Free Trade Agreements - The time is now for Economic Justice!
21-Mar-2013    
The Indonesian People's Movement Against Neocolonialism-Imperialism (Gerak Lawan) would like to work hand in hand with other movements in Asia and around the world, to dismantle the ongoing efforts to revive the WTO in the upcoming Ministerial meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia on 3-6 December 2013.
China's investments prompt call for new rules
8-Jan-2013     WSJ
The US is trying to use negotiations over a Pacific free-trade pact, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to formulate rules governing the behavior of state-owned concerns. China isn't a party to the talks, but the US hopes Beijing would ultimately agree to whatever limitations the pact imposes on state-owned companies, reports the Wall Street Journal
Top trade official sees US seeking more multilateral deals
11-Dec-2012     WSJ
The administration’s top trade official signaled Tuesday that the U.S. intends to pursue deals with coalitions of countries rather seek out the type of one-on-one agreements that were the among the hallmark achievements of President Barack Obama‘s first term.