With the U.S. signaling a turn toward protectionism, nations that have benefited from global commerce, from Australia to Japan to Peru, are trying to pick up the free-trade mantle.

South Korea and a group of Central American countries have tentatively signed a free trade agreement.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will be "pushing hard" to advance U.S. interests in his debut meeting with Group of 20 counterparts this week, including reaffirming commitments to avoid competitive currency devaluations, a senior Treasury official said on Monday.Mnuchin, who will attend a meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors from the G20 major economies on Friday and Saturday in Baden-Baden, Germany, also will press countries to help strengthen global growth, the official told reporters.

The trade talks on steel imports were dragging on, and Robert Lighthizer didn’t care for the Japanese offer. So he folded it into a paper airplane and launched it across his desk at Japan’s lead negotiator.

In terms of customs and trade facilitation, commitments on customs procedures and cooperation and legal provisions will be a bridge for customs authorities to access new standards and use modern methods for more efficient and proactive customs management

In terms of customs and trade facilitation, commitments on customs procedures and cooperation and legal provisions will be a bridge for customs authorities to access new standards and use modern methods for more efficient and proactive customs management.

The FTA incorporates investment chapters that provide a range of protections for qualifying EU foreign investors and their investments of a nature usually found in bilateral and multilateral investment treaties.

Five out of six countries in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have ratified the Vietnam–EAEU Free Trade Agreement, which will officially take effect this September.

Australia plans to start negotiating a free trade deal with Peru as part of a new Australian push to open Latin American markets for beef, wheat and wine exports.

On March 28th 2016, in Hanoi, Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, Chief negotiator and Ms. Meirav Eilon Shahar – Ambassador of Israel in Hanoi presided the opening ceremony of the first negotiation session for free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and Israel.