bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

Articles by language

English
Tagalog
Thai shrimp exporters fear new health rules in Australia
13-Feb-2007 MCOT
Thai shrimp farmers have urged the government to speed up negotiations with Australia over its proposed health and safety standard before it comes into effect on February 21.
Japanese NGOs join Thai protest
13-Feb-2007 Bangkok Post
Sixteen Japanese non-government organisations have joined the protest by Thai activists against the Thailand-Japan free trade agreement (FTA) by urging their government to remove tariff reductions for hazardous waste from the pact.
S Korean farmers use animals to oppose US FTA
13-Feb-2007 Asia Pulse
The farmers, wearing jackets emblazoned with messages disapproving of the talks to seal a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries, stormed into the bustling Myeongdong fashion district in several carloads and released one pig, six goats and about 300 radishes.
GCC, EU closer to FTA deal
13-Feb-2007 Khaleej Times
A final deal which is expected to be clinched during Mandelson’s visit to the UAE and Saudi Arabia from February 24.
India and Mauritius close to economic treaty
13-Feb-2007 NDTV
Critics say the agreement is a way for Indian companies to avoid paying capital gains tax in India.
Business begins push for fast track trade bill
12-Feb-2007 ABC News
US business groups began a campaign on Monday to persuade a skeptical Democratic-led Congress to approve at least a short-term extension of White House trade promotion authority to finish world trade talks.
UAE/US free trade discussions limp on
12-Feb-2007 Arabian Business
Stop-start free trade talks between the UAE and the United States are making progress, according to the UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry. The Ministry did not comment on reports that the UAE’s record on human rights and the banning of labour unions are obstacles.
US and Korean labor unite to protest trade agreement
12-Feb-2007 PR Newswire
Leaders of labor federations in the United States and Korea today joined forces to protest the ongoing negotiations for the US-Korea Free Trade agreement (KORUS FTA).
Bahrain: FTA lure for foreign firms
12-Feb-2007 Bahrain Tribune
The backers of the $1.6bn Bahrain Investment Wharf (BIW) project are using the Kingdom’s Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States to try and entice major firms from the economic powerhouses of China and India to set up shop in Bahrain.
Not under the same sky: bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), agriculture and food sovereignty
12-Feb-2007 PANAP
An initial report on the spread of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) throughout the Asia-Pacific and their impacts on agriculture and food sovereignty, in the context of the current state of play of the WTO, and the devastating legacy of agricultural liberalisation through World Bank/International Monetary Fund structural adjustment programmes.
As SK-US free trade talks near end, much unresolved
12-Feb-2007 Hankyoreh
With two rounds reportedly remaining, many in South Korea fear a ’spree of concessions’
US-S Korea free trade talks resume; no deal seen this week
12-Feb-2007 Dow Jones Newswires
The lead US negotiator in free trade talks with South Korea said Sunday that while she is optimistic about the latest round of negotiations, a final agreement will not be reached this week.
Activists want waste provisions to be removed from agreement
12-Feb-2007 Bangkok Post
Activists have called on Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly to remove trade in waste and micro-organism patenting from the Japan-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
No FTA newsletter (KoA)
10-Feb-2007 KoA
Korean protest delegation sets off for Washington, DC; Farmers, livestock raisers, and civil society groups protest beef import talks, 13 arrested; The undemocratic character of the FTA negotiations process
Imported chicken cripples economy in western Africa
10-Feb-2007 Final Call
Europeans love chicken breast. What do they do with the chicken legs? The current answer: Freeze them and ship them to Africa where they sell at a price far cheaper than fresh local chicken.
Endorsement for “US civil society declaration on the KOR-US FTA” requested
10-Feb-2007
A US civil society statement on the Korea-US FTA written in collaboration between the AFL-CIO and Korean Americans for Fair Trade, and endorsed by the Alliance for Responsible Trade. Organizational endorsement is requested by 12 February 2007.
Toward a US-Indonesia free trade agreement
10-Feb-2007 USINDO Brief
A potential bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States and Indonesia is the subject of an upcoming study, “Toward a US-Indonesia Free Trade Agreement”, by Gary Hufbauer and Sjamsu Rahardja. Hufbauer and David Katz of the US Trade Representative discussed the potential economic benefits an FTA would mean for both countries, areas that would need to be addressed to successfully conclude an FTA, as well as political prospects for such an agreement.
Malaysia, US free trade talks bog down
10-Feb-2007 AFP
Talks for a free trade agreement between the US and Malaysia are bogged down in sensitive issues and are unlikely to meet a crucial deadline to forge to deal, according to a senior US official.
The road to an undesirable deal: A report to US Congress
10-Feb-2007 KCTU
The Korea-US FTA will make living conditions more difficult for people living in both countries. This report covers seven main concerns and presents three individual cases. Our analysis shows that the proposed agreement will disproportionately hurt working families, widen the income gap, limit public services, and undermine culture and the environment in South Korea.
Business leaders warn of battle over free-trade pacts
9-Feb-2007 Miami Herald
Business groups prepare to fight for US approval of free-trade agreements with the Americas