TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Alireza Zeighami said the country had begun marketing plans for the imminent exports of its gasoline, local satellite Press TV reported on Wednesday. Zeighami said Tuesday that neighboring countries were Iran's top priorities, according to Press TV. The National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company ( NIORDC) has issued a permit for the export of one billion liters of gasoline, Zeighami was quoted as saying. Zeighami expressed hope that four shipments of Iran's gasoline would be dispatched by March 20.

(Reuters) - The Treasury Department wants a proposed pan-Asian free trade pact to reduce non-tariff barriers that prevent many small businesses from participating in global trade, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Tuesday. Charles Collyns, Treasury assistant secretary for international affairs, said that the Trans Pacific Partnership should be a "living agreement" with the capacity to add additional countries."

Vietnam and Turkey are about to ink agreements covering investment promotion and protection, double taxation avoidance and aviation.

Trade fair to promote ties with Japan

The Vietnam Food Association (VFA) raised the floor prices for rice exports on February 21, just one week after reducing them. Five percent broken rice now sells for US$520 per tonne (up by US$20), while 25 percent broken rice stands at US$490 per tonne (up US$10). This adjustment came into effect on February 22 and applies to deliveries in February and March this year. This is the fourth time the VFA has adjusted the floor prices of export rice since early 2011.

VIENNA, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The daily oil price of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) breached 100 U.S. dollars a barrel, the Vienna-based cartel said Tuesday. OPEC's benchmark basket of 12 crude oils stood at 100.59 U.S. dollars a barrel on Monday, compared with 99.08 dollars the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

New Delhi, Feb 22 (PTI) India's trade with the 10-member South East Asian nations bloc may touch USD 70 billion by 2014 because of the free trade agreement (FTA) that came into force last year, a government official said today. The two-way commerce between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) increased to over USD 50 billion in 2010 from USD 41 billion in the previous year, Joint Secretary in the Commerce Ministry Sumanta Choudhuri told reporters here.

TOKYO, Feb. 21 (AP) - (Kyodo)—The Japanese government said Monday that it will send senior officials to Vietnam to gather information about the ongoing negotiations for a Pacific free trade agreement, an initiative which Japan is showing interest in. Japan has held consultations with eight of the nine countries negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership, including the United States. Vietnam is the only country among the nine to which Japan has not sent officials to talk specifically about the TPP issue.

China has raised fuel prices for the second time in three months as it looks to offset a jump in global crude costs. However, the move has raised questions over government attempts to slow inflation. China, which subsidies the cost of fuel, increased the price of wholesale petrol and diesel by $53 (£34) per tonne from Sunday. Further price rises may be needed if the cost of oil keeps rising on the international market, analysts said.

WASHINGTON: The World Trade Organization on Friday issued a confidential preliminary ruling in a landmark case against China's export restrictions on raw materials used to manufacture steel, aluminum and chemical products. The United States, European Union and Mexico launched the case in 2009, complaining that Chinese export restrictions on minerals such as bauxite and magnesium discriminated against foreign manufacturers and gave an unfair advantage to domestic producers.