The civil society has urged the European Union Delegation to enhance trade ties with Rwanda. This was during a debate and interaction programme at Goethe Institute in Kiyovu on Wednesday. The debate was organised by the Delegation of the European Union to Rwanda to evaluate the role EU plays in improving lives of Rwandans.

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are set to formally accept the new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), with many affirming their hope of seeing the agreement enter into force by the WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi next December. At a recent meeting of the WTO’s Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation (PCTF), representatives from more than a dozen delegations said the domestic ratification process for the TFA was already underway, with some delegations outlining target dates for securing approval.

Nguyen Duc Tiep, deputy head of the Quang Ninh Provincial Investment Promotion Division, told VIR that Hong Kong’s Texhong Group is nearing completion of its second production factory which is worth US$200 million. The complex is located within the US$953.6 million, 3,300 hectare Hai Ha Industry Park, which is also under the group’s construction.

SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea, Japan and China began a new round of negotiations on a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul on Tuesday in an effort to thrash out their remaining differences. The two-day meeting marks the seventh of its kind since the countries held the first round of negotiations in March 2013, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

Like a huge container ship pushing its way into port, the trade pact known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership is about to drop anchor in Washington. The document is weighty and secret, stretching to perhaps 30 chapters, and is still being negotiated after nearly 10 years of talks. It would set new terms for trade and business investment among the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations — a far-flung group with an annual gross domestic product of nearly $28 trillion that represents roughly 40 percent of global G.D.P. and one-third of world trade.

May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren hit back at President Barack Obama in their tussle over "fast-track" authorization to negotiate a Pacific Rim trade treaty, a power she says could be used in the future to weaken Wall Street reforms. The president, who wants expedited negotiating power to streamline the passage of trade deals through Congress, said last week that Warren's claims were "absolutely wrong."

The European Union and Mexico will soon enter into new negotiations to beef up their existing free trade agreement, the two governments announced Monday, citing the need for the accord to tackle new areas like investment, regulatory hurdles and intellectual property rights.

OTTAWA, Canada—President Benigno Aquino III and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday morning (Friday night in Manila) agreed to explore the possibility of forging a free trade agreement. Both leaders witnessed the signing of a letter of intent to launch exploratory discussions on a “mutually beneficial” and “comprehensive” free trade agreement between Canada and the Philippines. In a joint press briefing, Mr. Aquino said he hoped such an agreement would “broaden the horizon of meaningful opportunities for our citizens and our region.”

VGP  – The Victory in Great Patriotic War (May 9, 1945-2015) encouraged Viet Nam and other countries to rise up for independence and freedom, said State President Truong Tan Sang during his talks with Russian President V. Putin on Saturday. Regarding bilateral ties, the two leaders agreed on measures to further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership in the new stage. They agreed to continue fostering the exchange of delegations to create stronger momentum for the development of the bilateral ties.

Vietnam expects a new wave of foreign direct investment (FDI) from the Republic of Korea (RoK) in the wake of the recently signed bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).  The RoK surpassed major investors from Japan and Singapore to become the biggest investor in Vietnam with hundreds of projects in 2014 and the first four months of this year.