Negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have long been a guarded secret, but critics say the Harper government went the extra mile to keep the latest round of talks out of the public eye. Talks on the world’s largest (so far) free trade area were slated to begin July 3 in Vancouver. But in a last-minute move, the Department of Foreign Affairs shifted the talks to Ottawa.

(Reuters) - China failed to overturn a U.S. law targeting unfair trade subsidies on Monday, when the World Trade Organization's Appellate Body said it did not have enough information to uphold China's appeal against an earlier WTO ruling. China had claimed that the U.S. "Public Law 112-99," also known as the GTX legislation, which was signed by President Barack Obama in March 2012, broke world trade rules, but a WTO dispute panel ruled against it in March.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Japan after the budget session of parliament in mid-August 2014 for his first state visit outside South Asia. Reinvigorating economic ties with Japan and the rest of East Asia presents a critical opportunity for the Modi Government to foster new business opportunities and address India’s recent growth slowdown. By looking to East Asia, business and government can work together to foster economic gains for India.

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) Visiting Japanese lawmakers voiced their support for Taiwan's participation in the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade bloc at an international conference in Taipei Tuesday that was also attended by counterparts from Taiwan and the United States.

The United States International Trade Commission recently decided to impose anti-dumping duties on imports of prestressed concrete steel rail tie wire from Mexico and China. The US Department of Commerce determined that Mexico and China were selling the product in the US at "less than fair value."

Russia may revise the free trade regime with Ukraine by increasing the amount of the import duties to the level of MFN in full compliance with WTO rules. This opinion was expressed by Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Vasily Nebenzya. 

Trade negotiators of sixteen Asian countries met in Singapore last week in ongoing negotiations to create the world’s largest trade pact to date, and what they were discussing is not the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). 

In the lead up to the next round of Trans-Pacific Partnership talks slated to start this Thursday in the Canadian capital of Ottowa, it’s useful to look at news that is likely to play a part in how aggressive Japan is in moving forward with the reforms needed to join the trade group.

Talks with the United States aimed at narrowing remaining differences over a Pacific free trade pact resumed Monday in Tokyo. Officials from all 12 negotiating members are gathering in Canada later this week. The two biggest economies in the Trans-Pacific Partnership framework will discuss tariffs on Japan’s key farm products and trade barriers in the auto sector — the biggest sticking points — during the three-day working-level talks.

The Power Ministry may seek dropping of the proposal to levy anti-dumping duty on imported solar power equipment on the plea that the current manufacturing capacity is not sufficient to meet the requirements of electricity generating firms in the sector, PTI reported. “It’s a quasi-judicial process and we will respect the process and take adequate measures to get the support of the Finance Ministry and the Commerce Ministry in this regard,” Power Minister Piyush Goyal told PTI.