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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

New US trade czar faces tests at home and abroad
11-May-2005     IPS
US Trade Representative Rob Portman, now in his second week on the job, faces numerous challenges as he seeks to build support at home and abroad for an ambitious US trade agenda, observers say.
It's make or break time for free trade, says Supachai
6-May-2005    
World Trade Organisation chief Supachai Panitchpakdi has described this month as a crucial period that could make or break the highly-anticipated WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December.
Senate confirms Portman as US Trade Representative
1-May-2005     DTN
The US Senate has confirmed President Bush's nomination of Representative Rob Portman to be trade representative. In a statement, Portman said "Congressional approval of the Central American and Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, China trade issues, the enforcement of existing agreements, keeping on pace the Doha talks to lower trade barriers, and our ongoing regional and bilateral trade negotiations, are all front and center issues for me."
Proliferation of bilateral FTAs will not undermine WTO process
26-Apr-2005     Bernama
The proliferation of bilateral free trade agreements (FTA) will not undermine the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) process but instead may smoothen it, Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz said.
USTR 2005 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers
31-Mar-2005     USTR
Office of the US Trade Representative has released its 2005 report on country-by-country barriers to US global trade interests.
Losing out in Asia: The perils of principle
28-Mar-2005     Newsweek
Europe is on the high road to big business losses. As the US races to make trade deals with nations across the world, Europe has held back, on lofty principle. That, in any event, is the message European businesses in Singapore will deliver to EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson when he arrives in the city-state in April.
Bush's pointsman has his job cut out
21-Mar-2005    
After weeks of uncertainty, President George W Bush has nominated as US Trade Representative Rob Portman, a Republican Congressman from Ohio, better known for his loyalty to the President than for any experience in international trade negotiations.
Bush taps congressman as US Trade Representative
17-Mar-2005     LA Times
Faced with tough political battles over a controversial trade pact with Central America and rising imports from China, President Bush announced today that he had enlisted a congressional insider and loyal supporter to be his new trade chief.
Bush administration submits annual trade report to Congress
2-Mar-2005     USTR
The Bush Administration today submitted to Congress the 2005 Trade Policy Agenda and the 2004 Annual Report of the President on the Trade Agreements Program.
An FTA with the US, what are we really in for?
1-Mar-2005    
Regional and bilateral trade agreements have been around since the 1950's. In the last decade however, there has been an increasing spurt of trade pacts being signed all over the world that pose challenges to the multilateral trading system.