BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- China urges quick action to plan and create an Asia-Pacific free trade area (FTA), a senior official with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday. China has proposed forming a working group to study the feasibility of the Asia-Pacific free trade agreement, said the MOC's Assistant Minister Wang Shouwen at a press conference on this year's trade ministerial meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

(Reuters) - China imposed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on imports of polysilicon from the European Union, the Commerce Ministry said on Wednesday, the latest move in a long-standing dispute over solar materials. Solar panels were at the centre of a trade row last year after the European Union decided to impose anti-dumping duties on panels made in China. Polysilicon is a raw material used in the manufacture of solar panels.

Domestic solar power gear makers have said their industry will be "crippled" if government does not impose anti-dumping duty on import of photo-voltaic products from the US, China,Taiwan and Malaysia. Indian Solar Manufacturers' Association (ISMA), a body representing 25 domestic solar manufacturers, has said that thin-film and silicon PV cells and modules imported into Indiafrom the US and other Asian countries are being sold at ridiculously low prices bleeding the local industry and violating international fair trade regulations.

BEIJING, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Chinese quality watchdog on Thursday put into effect a regulation which means only those that have registered with the Chinese authorities can sell dairy products into the country. Overseas dairy producers must meet Chinese rules and standards on sanitary conditions and get approval from authorities to sell dairy products, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). The first batch of registered overseas dairy producers involve 1,122 companies, including 41 makers on baby formula.

A restaurateur from Nova Scotia cannot order product for his business if he happens to be touring a British Columbia winery. If a freight forwarder in eastern Canada wants to move goods from this region across Canada, he’d best be aware of regulatory variations that could see his load stopped in western Canada should the vehicle be deemed non-compliant. A national coalition of business groups says a frustrating hodge-podge of interprovincial trade barriers like these are stifling economic development.

The resolution adopted by the European Parliament on 17 April 2014 on the state of play of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is an important step towards strengthening human rights protection, FIDH and the Vietnam Committee on Human Rights (VCHR) said today. Despite the opposition of the PPE, but mainly due to the effort made by Greens and GUE the resolution recommended the European Commission address key human rights concerns during FTA negotiations with Vietnam. 

(Reuters) - The United States put last-minute pressure on Japan to compromise in tough trade talks on Wednesday, shortly before President Barack Obama was to arrive for a state visit. The two-way talks - focusing on Japan's agricultural market and both countries' car markets - are key to reaching a multilateral trade pact that is central to Obama's strategic shift towards Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has touted the broader trade deal as vital for growth in the world's third biggest economy.

(Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday set preliminary duties on millions of dollars worth of imports of steel rebar from Mexico and Turkey after a complaint by U.S. producers about price undercutting by foreign competitors. The department set dumping duties of up to 66.7 percent on imports from Mexico and duties of up to 2.6 percent on Turkish imports after American producers alleged companies from the two countries were selling steel rebar, which is used to reinforce concrete, at unfairly low prices. A final decision is due on July 2.

Argentina will temporarily scale back taxes on biodiesel for domestic use to help the industry as the South American nation battles the European Union over anti-dumping measures. The government will send a bill to Congress ordering the exemption of a 22 percent tax on biodiesel used in thermoelectric plants and a 19 percent tax on biodiesel for gasoline blends until the dispute with the EU is resolved, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said yesterday in a speech in Buenos Aires.

MANILA - The Philippines will impose higher tariffs on Turkish wheat flour in the next four months after Manila discovered that Ankara was shipping the product here at artificially low prices. In an order, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said the anti-dumping duty, which would be on top of the seven percent tariff imposed on Turkish flour, would amount to the following: - 35 percent on hard flour for bread; - 39.26 percent on biscuit flour; and - 35.21 percent on soft flour for pastries and cookies.