A joint statement released after a meeting in Tokyo of trade ministers from Japan, China and South Korea stated that they had agreed to accelerate the work of a current joint study on a tripartite free trade agreement (FTA). Firstly, following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, the ministers expressed the belief that Japan’s recovery, and the recovery of Asia as a whole, could best be served by securing the maintenance and development of a free and open trade system, and the prompt and smooth flow of goods, in the region.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proposed creating a new fund to promote and support Vietnamese tra fish exports. Under the plan, tra fish (pangasius) exporters will contribute 1-2 US cents on every kilogram of fish they sell to the fund, which will also receive local and international donations. The fund will be used to promote the fish in the US and EU markets and develop strategies to protect Vietnamese exporters against false safety allegations and unfair trade barriers.

The U.S. could soon face a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel if owners and operators of illegal, offshore gambling websites follow through on threats made recently. According to Reuters, the government of Antigua, which had three illegal poker sites shut down, is considering action.

SEOUL, April 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Lee Myung- bak and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard reiterated Monday their resolve to conclude negotiations for a two-way trade pact, Lee's office said. "The leaders agreed that negotiations on an Australia-Korea free trade agreement were now in their final stage and reaffirmed their joint goal to conclude the negotiations this year, “a joint press statement said.

MOSCOW, Apr 25, 2011 (IPS) - After almost 18 years of unsuccessful but persistent struggle to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), experts say that efforts by Russian authorities have not been enough and have often lacked political will. "Russia’s struggle to join the WTO has been because Russia has had great difficulty in deciding whether it really wants to accept normal WTO disciplines," Michael Emerson, a visiting lecturer at the Moscow State Institute for Foreign Affairs, told IPS. 

After a series of heated exchanges, Russia and Georgia are to resume their Swiss-mediated discussion of Russian admission to the World Trade Organization. It has been confirmed that, on April 28-29, Russian and Georgian officials will meet in Bern, Switzerland, for the latest round of talks on Russia's attempt to enter the WTO, an organization in which Georgia is already a member.

Exports of tuna, one of Viet Nam's key seafood export products, are expected to continue rising in the coming months, due to the growing demand from the US, EU, Israel and Canada, says the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers. The US has remained a large market for Vietnamese tuna exports, buying over US$50 million worth of the product in the first quarter, a year-on-year rise of 11 per cent. Tuna exports have seen growth in both volume and value this year, with the average price of the product reaching $5.26 per kilo.

SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- Top trade officials from South Korea, China and Japan will meet this week to discuss the impact of Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami on trade, Seoul's trade ministry said Wednesday. During the one-day meeting in Tokyo on Sunday, South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon; Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister BanriKaieda; and Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming will also discuss a trilateral investment treaty they are hoping to forge and the feasibility of a free trade accord among the three nations, it said.

(Reuters) - World Trade Organization members face a somber Easter on Sunday because of a fight over manufacturing trade between the United States and major emerging economies like China, India and Brazil that could finally kill 10-year-old world trade talks.   WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, in a note accompanying new WTO negotiating documents on Thursday, said differences between countries over how much to cut manufactured goods tariffs were "unbridgeable."

WASHINGTON, DC, April 22, 2011 - World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is applauding the strong language in a long-awaited report that a key World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiating body released today, which underscores the urgent need to halt government-subsidized overfishing.