TOKYO -- Japan is on track to reach agreement with six of 11 countries with which it has been negotiating on a bilateral basis as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. Japan effectively concluded talks with Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei, and is finalizing negotiations with Chile and Peru. Japan is pursuing bilateral negotiations in parallel with talks for a broad agreement between a total of 12 nations seeking to join the pact.

New Delhi: Moving swiftly on its decision to consider a free trade agreement with the newly formed Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), India has initiated the process of setting up a joint study group (JSG) to study its feasibility. “The Commerce Ministry has sent out notes to all the ministries and departments concerned asking them to send their inputs on the areas the JSG should examine. An FTA with EEU makes both economic and strategic sense for us,” a ministry official told BusinessLine.

JB Cronjé, tralac Researcher, comments on developments in the TFTA negotiations on movement of business persons

The free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) represents a turning point and huge mutual benefit, said Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Director of the World Trade Organisation Centre under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).  She made the statement during a workshop held in Hanoi on July 7 to present and discuss the FTA signed on May 29 after more than two years of negotiations . 

HONG KONG — Willie Fung, a leader in the world’s bra industry, knows just what he will do if negotiators from the United States and 11 Pacific Rim nations complete a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement this summer.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has pledged that Vietnam will proactively collaborate with the United States to conclude negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade accord. Trong was speaking of this at a meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in Washington, D.C. on Monday afternoon (local time) as part of his official five-day trip to the U.S. at the invitation of the U.S. administration.

(VOVworld) – The EU-Vietnam free trade agreement is in the negotiation stage and likely to be signed this year, promising many opportunities for Vietnam in tax slashing, commercial advantages, investment attraction, and market expansion. In addition to benefits will come challenges which both the Vietnamese government and businesses should pay more attention to and make necessary changes in regulations, policies, and production activities.

The East African Community has drafted a negotiation framework to guide its trade negotiations with third parties, including the US, the European Union and China, which are some of its main trade partners. The proposed policy is awaiting validation by the five member states.

The Obama administration will host a high-level trade meeting in late July in an effort to conclude a sweeping Pacific trade pact, after winning key legislation in Congress last month to expedite U.S. approval.

Say trade deals could have hidden impacts Experts say the government should carefully consider before signing free-trade agreements (FTA) - as people could be hurt by deals that prolong drug patents and restrict information about medicine. Acting World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Thailand Richard Brown, in a speech at the International Trade and Health Conference at the Sukosol Hotel yesterday, said people’s rights should not be sacrificed to lower trade barriers.