Bilateral & Regional Trade

Portman leaving USTR

17 April, 2006
President George W. Bush on Tuesday will announce U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman as his choice to become White House budget director, a senior administration official said.

EU ready to give more ground in trade talks

10 April, 2006
EU trade chief Peter Mandelson said Tuesday the European Union was ready to give more ground in world trade talks but it needed to see similar concessions from other trade partners.

Malaysia-US FTA

8 April, 2006
Below are the links for your information the following documents on the Malaysia-US FTA opposition that is building up in Malaysia.

CBD sets 2010 deadline to set up global ABS regime

8 April, 2006
The 8th Conference of the Parties (COP 8) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ended late in the night on the last day of the meeting (31 March) with agreement on how to progress on access and benefit sharing (ABS), a key issue that has dogged the CBD for many years.

Thai officials take shrimp case to WTO

31 March, 2006
Thailand is preparing to file a complaint with the World Trade Organisation against the United States over its requirement for bonds levied on Thai shrimp exports.

Kingdom takes US to WTO over shrimp

31 March, 2006
Thailand has filed a case against the United States with the World Trade Organisation accusing Washington of employing unfair trade practices and targeting Thai shrimp exports, the Foreign Trade Department said yesterday.

Social movements and NGOs characterize the debate on MOP3 and COP8: Multilateral system in dispute

30 March, 2006
The Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements for the Environment and the Development (FBOMS) highlights during the Third Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) of the Protocol of Cartagena on Biossafety and the Eighth Conference of the Parties (COP8) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) the initiatives of civil society, with continuous mobilizations of Via Campesina and the activities of the Global Civil Society Forum.

Activists launch campaign against free trade deal

25 March, 2006
Activists over the weekend launched a campaign against a planned bilateral free trade deal with the US, saying it could undermine job and food security and the nation's economy.

India opens agriculture to US corporates at huge cost

7 March, 2006
It seems times have changed. Information technology is out and agriculture is in. The thrust on agriculture is now enshrined in the draft of the Indo-US Knowledge initiative on Agricultural Research & Education, which is the agenda for US President George Bush when he comes to India in March 2006.

U.S. seeks ways to meet India worker demands at WTO

2 March, 2006
The Bush administration is working with members of Congress to find a way of meeting India's politically difficult demand in world trade talks that the United States open its market to more temporary workers

Ways and means chair says US should drop lagging FTA partners

16 February, 2006
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) this week said the U.S. should drop partners in free trade agreement negotiations if talks on those agreements are not progressing.

US, Korea to Negotiate FTA

2 February, 2006
President Bush formally notifies Congress today that the United States and South Korea will embark on free-trade agreement negotiations

From ?protest WTO? Hong Kong to ?Stop FTA? in Thailand: Movements are learning from each other: We are not losing the battle!

17 January, 2006
An article reporting on the movement in Thailand learning experiences from global struggles against neo-liberal policy; WTO and FTA in particular

Centam says trade pact stalled by medicine rules

10 January, 2006
Implementation of a new U.S.-Central American trade pact could be delayed by U.S. demands that its partners tighten their rules on cheap drugs that compete with the products of U.S. pharmaceutical firms.

Thai workers to stage a rally in front of the US embassy

9 January, 2006
Press statement: Trade unions from state enterprises union confederations and different industrial areas including Rungsit, Omnoi-Omyai, Ayuthaya, Prapadaeng and the Eastern part of Thailand will stage a rally in front of the US embassy on 10th January 2006 to

10,000 protest US-Thai FTA talks

7 January, 2006
Thousands of Thais representing a diverse swath of society ranging from garlic growers to HIV/AIDS activists gathered outside a hotel in Thailand

Exports plummet in post FTA trade

3 January, 2006
Government figures show Australian exports to the US have fallen since the US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into force a year ago. In the 12 months to October last year, Australian exports to the United States fell by 4.7 per cent while US imports rose by 5.7 per cent.

Argentine Minister Says Meager WTO Results Bode Badly for Pan-American Free Trade Deal

28 December, 2005
Argentina's Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana Dec. 21 said insufficient progress on farm trade liberalization at the latest round of World Trade Organization talks held in Hong Kong bode badly for the U.S.-sponsored Free Trade Area of the Americas

Economic Partnership Agreements: EU and Central Africa agree next phase of negotiations

28 November, 2005
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson met with Central African Ministers on the 25th November in Brussels to agree on the next phase of the Economic Partnership Agreement negotiations between the two regions.

Canadian criticism strains relations with U.S.

24 October, 2005
Perceived slights and misunderstandings are normal features of the United States' relationship with Canada. But Canadians and outside experts say Ottawa's view of Washington now is as strained and combative as anyone can remember.