Asia & Pacific


Bilateral deal-making involving governments of Asia and the Pacific region.


China reaches Belt Road milestone with Eurasian Economic Union trade agreement
Agreement directly meets Belt Road objectives by liberalizing trade and investment along Eurasian landmass.
Dhaka-Kathmandu agree to remove trade barriers
Bangladesh and Nepal have agreed to examine existing tariffs and remove non-tariff barriers and para-tariff measures to reverse the very low level of bilateral trade.
Papua New Guinea eyes new era of trading
A new trade policy looks set to shift Papua New Guinea’s focus towards the development of bilateral ties and away from multinational agreements as part of broader efforts to create a more balanced trading environment.
E-commerce a top focus when S’pore chairs Asean
E-commerce and the digital economy will be the key points of focus when Singapore takes over the chairmanship of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean).
Taiwan conditionally lifts import ban on Japanese beef
Taiwan has conditionally lifted a 16-year-old ban on beef imports from Japan, clearing a major roadblock in negotiations on an economic partnership agreement.
Lighthizer presses Thailand on AG trade barriers
Lighthizer stressed the need to address longstanding trade barriers, including on U.S. meat and other agriculture exports.
Canada, Asean to talk FTA
Canada has agreed to commence exploratory discussions on a Free Trade Agreement with the 10 member nations that make up Asean, according to an announcement by the Canada-Asean Business Council.
Hong Kong-ASEAN FTA to tap opportunities under Belt and Road Initiative: experts
A free trade agreement to be signed by China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will help businesses better explore opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Turkish, American delegations to discuss economic ties next week
Additional steps for liberalizing and deepening commercial relations between the two countries in the long term will be reviewed.
Western Sahara trade dispute to be heard in the Court of Justice of the European Union
WSCUK argues that the UK was unlawfully allowing products, originating from or processed in Western Sahara, to be imported into the UK under a trade agreement with Morocco.

Referenced sites

ABAC

APEC Business Advisory Council is pushing for an FTA among APEC members

ASEAN Briefing

ASEAN Briefing is a platform dedicated to the various and increasing number of trade treaties and agreements throughout the ASEAN region, produced by tax and...

Asia Regional Integration Center

Database of bilateral and plurilateral FTAs with at least one of Asian Development Bank’s 48 regional members as signatory.

Australia-ASEAN-New Zealand FTA

An Australian government webpage on the Australia-ASEAN-New Zealand FTA negotiations, agreed to end 2004 and begun early 2005.

Macau-China FTA

Official website on the Macau-China Closer Economic Partnership Agreement

PANG

The Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) plays the role of the Pacific regional “peoples’ watchdog on trade issues”.