HANOI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is expected to sell some 1. 5 million tons of coffee to world market in 2014 to earn 3 billion U.S. dollars, said Vietnam Coffee-Cocoa Association (VICOFA) on Wednesday. In the first quarter of 2014, a total of 602,000 tons of Vietnamese coffee worth 1.2 billion U.S. dollars was exported, up 25.3 percent in volume and 14.9 percent in value year-on-year, said General Department of Vietnam Customs.

WASHINGTON/TOKYO, April 18 (Reuters) - Next week's meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a good opportunity to give impetus to Pacific trade negotiations but will not seal a deal, a senior U.S. administration official said on Friday. Talks between the United States and Japan seen as vital to a broader regional trade pact had narrowed to a few critical areas and will resume again on Monday, officials of both countries said, as negotiators hustle to prepare for Thursday's summit.

Five meat and poultry organisations have thanked President Barack Obama for the Administration’s efforts in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. The letter, delivered late yesterday, stated:

HA NOI (VNS)— The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) would bring challenges, as well as improved export opportunities for Viet Nam when the AEC is formed in 2015, according to experts. The AEC marks the commitment of ASEAN leaders to building and promoting a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region tempered with equitable development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy.

The U.S. has allowed Japan to exclude rice in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, but has asked the Japanese government to increase imports of U.S. rice, according to local sources. The Japanese government is struggling to keep Japanese rice competitive due to high production costs and declining consumption in Japan.

WASHINGTON – With U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Tokyo approaching, Japanese and U.S. trade chiefs are set to face off again in Washington as they strive to break a deadlock in talks on a massive free trade zone in the Pacific region.

It was suggested that the pace of negotiations on the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries should be quickened, following a recent visit by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to China.

(Reuters) - Russia is looking at the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the United States in the World Trade Organisation over sanctions hitting Russian banks, Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said on Wednesday, according to Russian news agencies. St Petersburg-based Bank Rossiya was sanctioned alongside its chairman and largest shareholder Yuri Kovalchuk in March as part of punitive measures by Washington over Russia's annexation of Crimea.

(Reuters) - China said on Thursday it would appeal against a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling that found it violated global trade rules with its export limits on rare earth minerals used in defense and technology products. China lost a WTO dispute in March, handing Europe and the United States a victory over what they see as China's unfair trade practices. "China will make the utmost efforts in the appeals process," Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang told reporters at a monthly briefing.

WASHINGTON – Japan and the United States hold working-level talks on the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade initiative in Washington from Tuesday (15/04) to Thursday (16/04), the office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Saturday. The talks will be held between Hiroshi Oe, deputy chief TPP negotiator, and Takeo Mori, ambassador for economic diplomacy, from Japan and acting Deputy USTR Wendy Cutler from the United States.