With no end in sight to the solar products trade dispute between the United States and China, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the sector's national trade association, has offered a compromise between the two countries' solar industries. "This proposed settlement is a win all the way around," said SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch. "It would actually lower costs to Chinese manufacturers for the export of solar cells and modules to the US, and it would improve US manufacturers' ability to compete fairly on an even playing field."

SEJONG, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade commission has recognized damage to five local firms from the country's bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union, the government said Friday. In a meeting held earlier in the day, the National Trade Commission accepted claims from three local pork processing companies that have suffered damage from the growing market share of European suppliers, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a press release.

JAKARTA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior Indonesian official said on Friday that the nation intends to preserve its export value to countries grouped in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, adding that exports to those economies have contributed almost 70 percent to the country's total exports last year. Trade Deputy Minister Bayu Krisnamurti said that Indonesia has considered countries joined in APEC as crucially essential for the country's exports. Indonesia saw a total of 139.9 billion U.S. dollars of export value to the region throughout last year.

(Reuters) - China, the world's top wheat and rice consumer, will issue low-tariff import quotas for key grains and cotton in 2014 at the same level as it allocated this year, keeping a lid on imports of lower-priced overseas imports, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Friday.The wheat import quotas are capped at 9.6 million tonnes, corn at 7.2 million tonnes, rice at 5.3 million tonnes and cotton at 894,00 tonnes.

BRUSSELS (Jiji Press)—Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht agreed at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday that Japan and the EU should accelerate their free trade talks. They agreed both sides will work to announce at a bilateral summit in Tokyo in November that they will aim for an early conclusion of the negotiations on their economic partnership agreement.

WASHINGTON - An alliance of cattlemen representing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States recently signed a letter, announcing their support for a comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.  

US & CHINA - China’s decision not to appeal chicken case to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is welcome news for US industry. The announcement on 25 September by US Trade Representative Michael Froman that the WTO has formally adopted the recent dispute settlement panel’s report in China’s anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases against imports of US chicken products is welcome news for the US poultry industry, according to the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) .

The chairman of the industry group representing New Zealand's beef and lamb farmers said Wednesday he hopes Japan will cut its tariffs on imported beef under a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade accord. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Chairman Mike Petersen told a press conference in Tokyo his group understands the unease in Japan, particularly in its heavily protected agricultural sector, over the TPP, in which Japan, New Zealand and 10 other countries are participating.

HANOI: Vietnam is "ready to work closely" with Japan in Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.  "Vietnam is willing to cooperate with all members of the TPP negotiations, and particularly with Japan," Minh said in written answers to questions submitted by Japan's Jiji Press. The two countries have a good relationship and many years of working together, he noted. 

The United States and Japan are considering making a joint proposal concerning Trans-Pacific Partnership rules on drug patents, making it possible for generic drugs to be sold sooner in developing countries, sources close to the matter said Saturday. According to the sources, the joint proposal will call on developed nations like the United States, Japan and Australia to extend the period of patent protection for medicinal drugs while allowing shorter periods in developing countries like Malaysia and Vietnam.