Eli Lilly and Company has initiated formal proceedings under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to attack Canada’s standards for granting drug patents, claiming that the denial of a medicine patent is an expropriation of its property rights granted by the agreement.1 The investor privileges provisions included in NAFTA and other U.S.

The United States government has unveiled details of proposed flexibilities it wants to introduce into the planned Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement which will allow importers to buy scarce clothing, textiles and yarns from outside the bloc.

On 20/11/2012, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) sent a letter to the U.S Secretary of Labor to oppose the inclusion of Vietnamese Brick and Garment in DOL Forced, Child Labor Report. Download the Letter in Vietnamese and English here:

During the debate surrounding the U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2007, many observers warned of the dangers associated with its extreme foreign investor rights and private “investor-state” enforcement that mirrored provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). These extreme investor provisions in the U.S.-Peru FTA empowered foreign firms to obtain compensation over any government action – health, environmental, zoning, labor, or other policies – that they claim undermined their “expected future profits”.

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiators were pleased to report further solid steps forward in closing the remaining gaps between them during the 15th round of negotiations, which closed today. Their announcement of new progress followed recent discussions between President Obama and the Leaders of other TPP countries, during which the Leaders reaffirmed their mutual priority of concluding a state-of-the-art, comprehensive agreement as quickly as possible and of smoothly integrating the newest members, Canada and Mexico, into the negotiations.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) member countries recently concluded the latest round of negotiations in Leesburg, Virginia. Talks between the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam have been underway since 2010. Canada and Mexico will be joining the negotiations for the first time in early December.

U.S. athletic footwear manufacturer New Balance said on Thursday that it pressed the top U.S. trade official during a visit to its Norridgewock, Maine, factory to maintain tariffs on shoes from Vietnam in a proposed free-trade deal.Only 3,000 workers still make footwear in the United States, with about 1,350 of them employed by New Balance, headquartered in Boston, company spokesman Matt LeBretton told Reuters by phone after the meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiators have continued to make progress at the 14th round of negotiations, which ended in Leesburg, Virginia. Responding to direction in the September 9th statement of TPP Leaders issued at Vladivostok, Russia, negotiators in Leesburg focused on resolving outstanding issues where possible and narrowing differences on those that still need work.

On 5 September in the margins of the APEC Leaders meeting in Vladivostok, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Ministers met to review the progress of TPP negotiations. Ministers provided a Report to TPP Leaders outlining the substantial headway that has been to date.

On 5 September in the margins of the APEC Leaders meeting in Vladivostok, Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Ministers met to review the progress of TPP negotiations. Ministers provided a Report to TPP Leaders outlining the substantial headway that has been to date. TPP Leaders confirmed their commitment to concluding a comprehensive, truly regional TPP agreement as rapidly as possible, and welcomed new Members Canada and Mexico to the negotiating group.