(VOV) – Vietnam signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Republic of Korea (RoK) earlier this month which is expected to boost its exports to the RoK market and more than double bilateral trade over the next five years. At a conference on May 22 sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in HCM City representatives of the ministry said the FTA could see Vietnam and the RoK’s annual trade reach US$70 billion by 2020.

Unless the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks are concluded soon, they risk dragging on interminably. If that happens, the United States’ capacity to function as a benign world hegemon will be diminished. To avoid this, the White House is determined to get the pact signed and ratified by the end of 2015. This means persuading the US Congress to approve the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) in June and its TPP negotiating partners to sign a deal just few weeks later.

The Viet Nam - South Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed on May 5 is expected to bring positive effects to many of the countries’ economic fields. The FTA will create new opportunities for cooperation, but, more importantly, for Viet Nam it will further develop the fundamentals of their business environment and social resources.

Vietnam is ready to work with other countries involved in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiation towards its early conclusion, Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Le Hai Binh said in a regular press conference on May 21. Replying a query on the possibility of wrapping up the negotiations and signing the agreement within this year, Binh said Vietnam will follow the principle of fairness with regard to mutual benefits and respect to interests of the TPP member countries.

NDO - The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) will issue a book featuring detailed information to help the Vietnamese business community learn more about Vietnam-Republic of Korea (RoK) Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The information was released at a workshop themed ‘Vietnam-RoK FTA: Committed Contents, Impacts on Vietnamese businesses’ in Hanoi on May 21.

(VOVworld) – A workshop on the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) held at the Flemish Parliament, Brussels, on Tuesday informed local enterprises about the opportunities they will receive when the FTA is signed. The event was held by the Belgian Vietnamese Alliance (BVA). Vietnam and the EU are in the final stage of negotiation.

FTA to intensify Vietnam-EEU ties Vietnam, EU push for FTA signing EU-Vietnam FTA’s positive impacts on bilateral relations Vietnam’s dynamic economy will open up great opportunities for foreign investors, especially enterprises from the EU, stated Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Trade Mauro Petriccione, who is also Chief Negotiator for the EU.

(Yonhap) Producers of nine local farm goods have suffered damage from a rise in imports due to free trade agreements, becoming eligible for government support and compensation, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday. In a meeting in Seoul, the government committee on support for farmers recognized that the agricultural products were affected by a sudden increase in imports in 2014, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They include soybeans, potatoes, cherries, melons, grapes, chestnuts and chickens.

The United States will press potential partners in a Pacific trade pact for agreement on currency policies "in the context of" the trade deal, U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said on Tuesday. It was not clear what form this agreement could take as the negotiators from the United States, Japan, South Korea and other countries try to reach a Trans Pacific Partnership deal.

Japanese Economy Minister Akira Amari said on Tuesday it is becoming "extremely difficult" to hold ministerial talks on a Pacific trade pact unless a fast-track bill is passed in the United States. Approval of the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill in the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives would give momentum to negotiations on the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)trade deal.