(Reuters) - Washington wants progress on an investment treaty with Beijing before it considers expanding an eventual Pacific-region trade pact to include China, a top U.S. official said on Thursday. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said the United States was open to other countries joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) being negotiated by Washington and 11 other nations. However, before China can be considered, Washington wants movement on a bilateral investment treaty.

MEXICO CITY--U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said Tuesday that the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership would be an "upgrade" to older deals like the North American Trade Agreement, and that the Obama administration was working to educate some members of Congress on why a fast-track negotiating path is necessary.

Japan and the United States remain apart over tariff reductions as the 12 member countries of the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership pact prepare for a crucial ministerial meeting later this month. The meeting is crucial to whether the 12 will be able to conclude the broad trade agreement, TPP Minister Akira Amari said. Tokyo has been putting an emphasis on bilateral negotiations with Washington to pave the way for progress in the broader TPP talks.

WELLINGTON, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- More than 250 business people from the Asia-Pacific region will gather in Auckland next week to seek to influence the trade and investment agenda of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the run-up to China's hosting of the organization's annual meeting.

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- A preliminary ruling by the Ministry of Commerce on Friday said solar-grade polysilicon from the European Union (EU) has been dumped in the Chinese market. Solar-grade polysilicon from the EU was subsidized and as a result, imports of the product substantially impaired China's domestic sector during the period of probe, said a statement on the ministry's website. Given the complexity of the case, the ministry will not levy temporary anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duties on the imports for the time being, the statement said.

BRUSSELS, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Friday called on Russian authorities to take into account all the evidence before banning pig imports from EU member states. EU Health Commissioner Tonio Borg said the bloc had acted quickly to contain the spread of infection after two cases of African swine fever were detected in wild boar in Lithuania on Friday. "Interim protective measures have been swiftly adopted by the Commission to regionalize the infected area within Lithuania," he said.

Alvaro Jana, Director General of the International Economic Relations (DIRECON) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed his belief on Chile’s recent Official Gazette, commenting on the Vietnam-Chile FTA that took effect as of January 2014. DIRECON statistics show Vietnam is Chile’s second largest trade partner in Southeast Asia, and bilateral trade accounts for 20% of total trade value between Chile and ASEAN.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, expected to be signed soon, will serve as a push for the Vietnamese garment sector’s growth and sustainable development, said a senior official in the industry.  In a recent interview granted to Vietnam News Agency on this issue, Le Tien Truong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), said experts at many seminars affirmed that the garment sector, with its international competitiveness, will benefit much from free trade agreements (FTAs) in general and the TPP in particular. 

(VOV) -  Free trade agreements such as that with the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), will expand export markets for Vietnamese garments and textiles, according to Industry and Trade Minister Vu Huy Hoang. The 12 potential TPP members account for 40% of global GDP and 30% of global trade. TPP commitments are more onerous than their WTO equivalents.

Opportunities and challenges from AFTA commitments ASEAN member auto imports will be awarded a preferential 50% import tariff from early 2014.The tax cut is the result of the earlier ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA). Import tax reductions are a boon for consumers but pose challenges to Vietnamese car assemblers and manufacturers.