Trade officials from 16 countries finished up the nineteenth round of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in Hyderabad, India, last... READ MORE

Japan and the European Union agreed a free trade pact on Thursday to create the world's biggest open economic area and signal resistance to what they see as U.S. Presiden... READ MORE

Negotiators from the EU and Japan are ramping up their work to clinch a bilateral trade agreement, with reports suggesting that the two sides are tentatively hoping to... READ MORE

US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer discussed with lawmakers the Trump administration’s trade policy priorities for the coming year, covering areas... READ MORE

Australia, New Zealand, and eight Pacific island countries signed the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) last week in Nuku’alofa, T... READ MORE

US and New Zealand officials are exploring options to deepen bilateral trade ties, with the possibility of formal trade talks being floated. New Zealand Trade Minister... READ MORE

Officials from governments, international agencies, the private sector, and civil society discussed policy plans and ideas for how to address the gender trade gap duri... READ MORE

Members of the G20 coalition of major advanced and emerging economies are gearing up for their leaders' summit in Hamburg, scheduled from 7-8 July. The high-level... READ MORE

The US will lose an estimated US$3.1bn from its exports due to its Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) withdrawal, a new study shows. Meanwhile the remaining 11 members would... READ MORE

The trade talks with the US will kick off next month as British officials start to scope out plans for a deal, with the aim of setting up a free trade agreement as soon a... READ MORE

Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Tuesday to seek a broad agreement on trade at next month’s Group of 20 summit and told German business leaders that she won’t give up on a... READ MORE

During a fourth round of negotiations held from 6 to 9 June 2017 in Mexico City, delegations from the four EFTA States and Mexico continued their negotiations on a rev... READ MORE

A U.S. pork industry leader has expressed strong hopes to see Washington and Tokyo quickly strike a free trade agreement, following the decision by President Donald Trump... READ MORE

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland called for taking steps to support multilateralism and the rules-based international order during a speech in Ottawa, Canad... READ MORE

Economic officials from the US and Mexico announced on Tuesday 6 June that they had reached a draft deal to prevent trade remedies planned by Washington on imported Me... READ MORE

During their recent meeting in Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed on the need to resume India-European Union (EU) free trade... READ MORE

The prospect of a revived EU-US trade deal is in “deep freeze”, according to Brussels sources, undermining reports that the EU has been inching ahead of the UK in the rac... READ MORE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met in Berlin this week, calling for renewed efforts towards boosting trade ties between New De... READ MORE

Australian and Peruvian trade officials announced last week the start of formal talks towards reaching a free trade agreement (FTA), with the first negotiating round s... READ MORE

The US and the EU are planning to develop a “joint action plan” on trade, reports suggest, after leaders met in Brussels, Belgium, late last week. US Presi... READ MORE

Leaders from the G7 nations met in the Sicilian town of Taormina from 26-27 May, with hot-button issues such as trade, inequality, the global economy, and climate chan... READ MORE

US Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer notified Congress last week of the planned renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), kicking o... READ MORE

The past weekend saw ministerial meetings of multiple configurations in the Vietnamese city of Hanoi, as officials discussed the future of various trade-related initiativ... READ MORE

Economic and trade relations between Brazil and South Africa need to be strengthened, insisted Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the South African Minister of International Rela... READ MORE

The Canadian Senate approved legislation last week for implementing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union. The mo... READ MORE

Australia and Hong Kong began talks to secure a free trade agreement, Australia's trade minister Steven Ciobo said on Tuesday, that he said would focus on securing increa... READ MORE

Concluded at the WTO’s 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference, the TFA entered into force on 22 February 2017 following its ratification by two-thirds of the WTO membership. In... READ MORE

Canada and the South American trading bloc Mercosur have recently resumed preparations for potentially negotiating a future trade agreement, officials say, nearly five... READ MORE

The preliminary determination reached by the US Department of Commerce last month to levy countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports has been met with r... READ MORE

The European Union and Mexico are “committed” to finishing talks to revamp their decades-old trade agreement this year, according to the EU’s top tra... READ MORE

Senior officials from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries met in Toronto, Canada, on 2-3 May for preparatory discussions on next steps before a ministers&rsq...; READ MORE

US President Donald Trump issued an executive order last weekend ordering a review of all trade deals involving the United States, which he said would play a role in k... READ MORE

ASEAN and the Pacific Alliance renewed their commitment to strengthen cooperation between the two regional organisations during the third Meeting of the Committee of Perm... READ MORE

Donald Trump, US president, asserts that “protection will lead to great prosperity and strength”. In contrast, President Xi Jinping of China insists that “we must promote... READ MORE

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has released recommendations on rules of origin in preferential trade agreements (PTAs), highlighting the challenges trader... READ MORE

Attacks on dairy farmers and loggers are the opening shots in a bigger confrontation over trade READ MORE

President Trump threatened to terminate the U.S. trade agreement with South Korea in an interview Thursday night, declaring that the five-year-old accord with a key ally... READ MORE

The US is hoping to launch negotiations with South Korea on upgrading their five-year-old trade deal, also known as the KORUS FTA, according to comments made by US Vic... READ MORE

Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra stressed the value of multilateralism during a trip to Geneva, Switzerland, this week, months before her country is due to h... READ MORE

The past weeks have seen a flurry of trade activity in Washington and beyond, including a trip by US Vice President Mike Pence to Asia; meetings between top American a... READ MORE

The president has softened some of his tough talk toward China and Mexico, transferring it to Canada and disputes over softwood lumber and dairy products. Donald Trump is... READ MORE

Argentine president Mauricio Macri is convinced that in the second half of the year Mercosur will sign the long awaited trade agreement with the European Union and will e... READ MORE

Members of the Economic Community of West African States' (ECOWAS) parliament's Committee on Health and Social Service and Committee on Trade, Customs and Free... READ MORE

Britain is preparing for life after Brexit, while GCC countries are preparing for new financial realities in a post-oil era. The council nations are working on diversifyi... READ MORE

On Friday 7 April, ministers from Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance convened in Buenos Aires for talks on developing closer ties between the two regional mechanisms, r... READ MORE

The past week has seen various meetings on advancing regional integration projects in the Asia-Pacific, including a new round of talks between China, South Korea, and... READ MORE

Negotiations for both an EU-Mexico trade deal upgrade and a new EU-Japan trade agreement continued last week, with officials in both contexts suggesting that these eff... READ MORE

Ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) major advanced and emerging economies met in the German city of Düsseldorf from 6-7 April for talks on how to expand internet acce... READ MORE

The government of Brazil announced on Friday that Mercosur trade partners (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) were closer to reaching an agreement with the Pacific... READ MORE

Norway offers much to envy. The food is tasty, public services are great and the people are impossibly good-looking. Its trade policy looks equally desirable. Though it t... READ MORE

In mid-March, ministers and high-level representatives from nations that have signed on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, as well as China, Colombia and South Korea, met... READ MORE

From the hundreds of millions of tortillas consumed every year to the countless tons of corn-enriched feed that fattens livestock and poultry, corn is perhaps Mexico’s mo... READ MORE

Back in October Theresa May promised to invoke Article 50, the legal procedure for leaving the European Union, by the end of March 2017. On March 29th the prime minister... READ MORE

After months of charged rhetoric on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), a draft letter to Congress from the Trump administration appears to signal a willingn... READ MORE

Donald Tusk rules out parallel talks – a key aim of Theresa May’s government – as he unveils draft EU negotiating guidelines. EU leaders have said there will be no talks... READ MORE

Experts from the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Con... READ MORE

Negotiators meeting to advance a planned EU-Mercosur Association Agreement, including a free trade deal, finished their 27th round of talks last Friday in Buenos Aires... READ MORE

In official visits to Australia and New Zealand over the past week, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with government and business leaders to discuss economic ties and co... READ MORE

The EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are preparing to examine the prospect of re-launching talks for a region-to-region trade accord, nearly e... READ MORE

The past week has seen a series of regional integration efforts continue among Asia-Pacific economies, including a two-day summit among the signatories of the Trans-Pa... READ MORE

Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), called on G-20 officials preparing to meet in the German city of Baden-Baden later t... READ MORE

Vietnam is seeking a trade deal with the United States to replace the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement. Official media in Vietnam say Prime Minister N... READ MORE

On the third day of this presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order formally withdrawing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade agreement resu... READ MORE

With the U.S. signaling a turn toward protectionism, nations that have benefited from global commerce, from Australia to Japan to Peru, are trying to pick up the free-tra... READ MORE

Efforts to lay the groundwork for possible negotiations on a bilateral Canada-China trade deal continue underway, with Canadian officials launching a three-month domes... READ MORE

Boosting economic ties with the Asia-Pacific region is one of the main items on the EU trade docket this week, as the bloc’s top trade official travels to Singap... READ MORE

The framework of rules for global trade has withstood some fearsome ructions over the past few years. The rise of China, which aroused resentment about job losses across... READ MORE

The World Trade Organization announced on Wednesday 22 February that the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has now entered into force, having surpassed the minimum re... READ MORE

A major milestone for the global trading system was reached on 22 February 2017 when the first multilateral deal concluded in the 21 year history of the World Trade Organ... READ MORE

Waiting times at customs points for trucks bringing goods into the East African nation of Rwanda dropped from an astonishing 11 days in 2010 to 34 hours in 2014 thanks to... READ MORE

The European Parliament approved a landmark free-trade agreement with Canada, shoring up Europe’s market-opening clout in the face of a populist surge across the continen... READ MORE

President Trump struck a softer tone on trade Monday, saying his administration will be “tweaking” the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in a way that will be a... READ MORE

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday did not rule out negotiating a bilateral free trade agreement with the United States, a framework preferred by U.S. Presiden... READ MORE

Now that U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to trash the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the four-nation Pacific Alliance is courting TPP as well as non-TPP countries --... READ MORE

New Zealand and China will soon hold a series of high-level meetings and work to promote free trade, the countries' governments said on Friday, amidst growing concerns ab... READ MORE

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has told China that she doesn't take seriously the Trump administration's threat to tear up its trade agreement with Australia. China's fore... READ MORE

It is unrealistic for Britain to expect to negotiate its exit from the European Union and reach a free trade agreement in two years and both will probably need an impleme... READ MORE

Donald Trump campaigned for the presidency by deriding NAFTA, the free trade pact between the US, Canada, and Mexico, as a job killer and “the worst trade deal maybe ever... READ MORE

Sri Lanka aims to finalise a free trade agreement (FTA) with China later this year, said the country's ambassador to Beijing last weekend. The two Asian economies... READ MORE

Efforts on behalf of the EU and Mexico to modernise a sixteen-year old free trade agreement have been ramped up, following a phone call between EU Trade Commissioner C... READ MORE

Various meetings between ministers from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries are on the docket in the coming weeks, as the remaining signatories of the Pacifi... READ MORE

A proposed comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) between India and Peru covering goods, services and investments may not only raise India’s export volumes to the weste... READ MORE

The leaders of Brazil and Argentina said on Tuesday they would pursue closer ties with Mexico and other Latin American nations alarmed by U.S. President Donald Trump's pr... READ MORE

American business leaders are urging South Korean leaders to increase market access to U.S. companies seeking to sell goods in South Korea. The business leaders want to p... READ MORE

Two of South America’s most pro-market presidents are struggling to shake off the protectionist policies of the past when it comes to international trade. Tuesday’s state... READ MORE

British Prime Minister Theresa May called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday to express condolences about the Quebec City shooting and update him on her recent vis... READ MORE

Wondering what the Americans might want from Canada in a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement? Multiple clues might be embedded in a document publishe... READ MORE

Trade negotiations between the 28-nation European Union and Indonesia are kicking into gear, according to EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström. The two sides launch... READ MORE

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Washington to discuss trade and security matters in what will be the f... READ MORE

The United Kingdom and the United States are examining how to move ahead with preliminary trade negotiations, according to UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who met with... READ MORE

Exploratory discussions between the UK and Australia for a post-Brexit trade deal are expected to continue this week, media reports suggest, with some officials noting... READ MORE

The proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a free trade agreement negotiated between Canada and the EU, acquired the support of the European Parli... READ MORE

"The first week of Donald J. Trump's presidency of the United States has included both executive action and plans for meetings focused on trade, giving some e... READ MORE

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met in Sydney last weekend to discuss a host of trade issues, including their plans t... READ MORE

Efforts to ratify an EU-Canada trade deal have seen progress in Europe, with the agreement receiving the backing of the European Parliament's environment, public h... READ MORE

For the first time in generations Britain's ability to negotiate free trade agreements will be un-frozen. Proponents of free trade see in Brexit a global vision that coul... READ MORE

The Trudeau government is weeks away from an inaugural round of talks on a free-trade agreement with China as it presses ahead a central objective in its plan to deepen t... READ MORE

British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed that the Gulf countries are hoping to sign a free trade deal with the UK, in a major speech outlining the core principles... READ MORE

President-elect Donald Trump and his economic team are threatening to dynamite the foundations of global trade that have underpinned decades of growth, with potentially d... READ MORE

A top judge in the European courts has said that national parliaments should ratify key aspects of future EU trade deals, throwing a potential spanner into the workings o... READ MORE

Argentina and Chile agreed to organize a major Mercosur, Pacific Alliance trade blocks' meeting during the first half of 2017. Last Friday Chilean president Michelle Bach... READ MORE

Representatives from South Korea, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Panama concluded negotiations for a free trade deal last month, with the fin... READ MORE

The U.K. could try to stay in the European customs union after Brexit, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said, in a further sign that the British government is consi... READ MORE

Chile would welcome Argentina as a member of the Pacific Alliance trade bloc, a group of four historically market-friendly Latin American countries, Chilean President Mic... READ MORE

The cooperation between participating countries within the Indonesia-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was designed to enhance the e... READ MORE

Canada has ratified the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), making it the 103rd WTO member to do so. Only seven more ratifications from members are needed to bring the TF... READ MORE

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s office downplayed remarks attributed to a British diplomat that it could take 10 years to negotiate a final free-trade deal with the Eur... READ MORE

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership has come into the global spotlight with the imminent demise of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. And the conclusion... READ MORE

Japan’s upper house of parliament ratified the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement on Friday 9 December, marking the final stage for the Asian economy&rsqu...; READ MORE

An investor-state arbitration tribunal published its final ruling last week in the row between a US-based wind energy company, Windstream, and the Canadian government.... READ MORE

Japan and the European Union are holding last-ditch talks this week to try reach a broad free trade agreement by the end of the year, Japanese government officials said.... READ MORE

Almost a year on from the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA), it is clear that the landmark deal is helping to underpin the bilateral relations amid an increas... READ MORE

There have been many statements in the media lately about the impact of the United States election on Asia, specifically regarding president-elect Donald Trump’s comments... READ MORE

Vietnamese officials once excited by joining the U.S.-led Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a sweeping Pacific Rim trade zone, are looking instead to other deals that woul... READ MORE

In one corner, there is the United States; in the other, China. The sole superpower trying to maintain its top position versus a dormant giant now increasingly ready to a... READ MORE

The 16th round of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations has officially finished, after four days of negotiation meetings attended by more than 6... READ MORE

Malaysia’s trade with the United States has been in decline. But with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement dead in the water, what is next for Malaysia’s trade a... READ MORE

Australia is already feeling the effects of a more unpredictable foreign policy under US president-elect Donald Trump, with worried plans to start negotiating a free trad... READ MORE

A dispute over data has emerged as an unexpected obstacle to an EU-Japan free-trade deal only weeks before diplomats expected to seal a political agreement. READ MORE

The process to bring the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) into force is entering the home stretch, with the Geneva-based organisation reporting that only... READ MORE

The Australian Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) issued its report on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement to the country’s parliament last w... READ MORE

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström affirmed this week that the 28-member bloc is “very close” to finalising talks for a bilateral free trade agreement... READ MORE

There has been much focus on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and free trade agreements in general, especially in the U.S. during the recent presidential e... READ MORE

Brussels is “very close” to a free-trade deal with Japan as negotiators seek to ease anxiety in Tokyo that an agreement could run into the same kind of political trouble... READ MORE

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on November 21, 2016 that he would withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on day one of his administration. Opposition t... READ MORE

RCEP is a necessary step for Asian regional integration, regardless of what happens with TPP. READ MORE

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said last week that China and New Zealand had agreed to launch talks to upgrade their free trade agreement (FTA). This would be the fi... READ MORE

Six years ago it took almost three weeks for a shipping container to travel the 1,100km from the Kenyan port of Mombasa to Kampala, the Ugandan capital. While poor infras... READ MORE

The next stage in the approval process for the EU-Canada trade pact is now getting underway, officials say, with parliamentary committees in Europe preparing to vote o... READ MORE

Mexico's finance minister José Antonio Meade touted the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement during a trip to the United Kingdom, the Financial Times repor... READ MORE

Much horror and perturbation among the Asia-Pacific countries meeting earlier this month in Lima at Donald Trump’s threat to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, th... READ MORE

US President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he would be pulling the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) upon taking office, in a move... READ MORE

A planned ministerial meeting for countries involved in negotiating a plurilateral services trade agreement has been called off, sources confirmed, with negotiators an... READ MORE

Officials from New Zealand and China have announced their plans to “upgrade” their existing trade deal, which has been in force since 2008. The news was co... READ MORE

US President-elect Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he would be pulling the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) upon taking office, in a move... READ MORE

A planned ministerial meeting for countries involved in negotiating a plurilateral services trade agreement has been called off, sources confirmed, with negotiators an... READ MORE

China wants to seal the deal on a trade agreement with Southeast Asian countries as soon as possible with a U.S.-led pact now in doubt, a Ministry of Commerce official sa... READ MORE

The Japanese government will likely be driven into a corner over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, in response to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement of his int... READ MORE

Sustainable Development Goal 9 calls for a commitment to “build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.” Are... READ MORE

In moving toward the realization of comprehensive trade and investment rules that are unprecedented anywhere else, the preparedness of participating countries is tested o... READ MORE

Leaders of 21 Asia-Pacific nations ended their annual summit Sunday with a call to resist protectionism amid signs of increased free-trade skepticism, highlighted by the... READ MORE

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to further open China's economy, as leaders of Asia-Pacific countries sought new trade options at this year's APEC meeting in Per... READ MORE

The Leaders of the 21 APEC member economies concluded the 2016 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Lima on Sunday by adopting a Declaration on advancing quality growth and... READ MORE

After years of negotiations, officials gathered in Brussels on Friday 11 November to sign the protocol for Ecuador’s accession to the free trade agreement betwee... READ MORE

UK officials have continued exploring options for deepening ties with other trading powers in a post-“Brexit” world, as legal challenges continue on home s... READ MORE

Just over one week after the news that Donald Trump will serve as the next president of the United States, key trading partners are working to prepare for the change i... READ MORE

Last week, members of the Tanzanian parliament (MPs) unanimously called on the East African country’s government not to sign an Economic Partnership agreement (E... READ MORE

Canada’s ambassador to Washington said Wednesday that Canada is open to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement if that’s what President-elect Donald Trump... READ MORE

U.S. President Barack Obama's administration has suspended its efforts to win congressional approval for his Asian free-trade deal before President-elect Donald Trump tak... READ MORE

Donald Trump could not have been clearer in his election campaign: China is cheating the United States out of millions of jobs and will be forced to behave, through drama... READ MORE

Negotiations for the 16-country Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are increasingly making progress towards crafting a future trade and investment deal... READ MORE

No matter who prevails in Tuesday’s presidential election, the U.S. ambassador to Canada says President Barack Obama is determined to win an uphill fight to get congressi... READ MORE

It’s been a long time since trade was such a hot button topic when talking politics. Tip O’Neill, a former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, often used to say t... READ MORE

A popular but wildly incorrect narrative has taken hold during the 2016 election cycle—that both candidates’ anti-trade rhetoric is the product of a mass revolt against f... READ MORE

With less than one week remaining until US voters go to the polls, officials both from the current Obama administration as well as from other Trans-Pacific Partnership... READ MORE

Leaders from the EU and Canada signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Sunday, following several weeks of talks to win the required backing of... READ MORE

Last Sunday, after seven years of negotiations, the European Union (EU) and Canada signed a free trade agreement known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (... READ MORE

Economies across sub-Saharan Africa have adopted a record number of reforms to upgrade their business environment over the past year, says the World Bank in its Doing... READ MORE

As Vaezi told reporters, negotiations have been conducted for exporting Iranian petrochemical products to Malaysia and Iranian products will enter the country’s market in... READ MORE

The European Union will agree a tariff-free trade deal with the UK – and it will not run into the same difficulties faced by the troubled Canadian pact, a cabinet ministe... READ MORE

The European Parliament president says he is optimistic that a free-trade deal between the EU and Canada can be signed soon despite last-minute obstacles. Objections by a... READ MORE

Singaporean and Australian officials signed a series of updates to their existing trade deal last week, particularly in the area of services, following their latest re... READ MORE

The European Council is due to begin a two-day leaders’ meeting on Thursday, where they are expected to confirm whether they are in a position to sign a negotiat... READ MORE

One of the challenges hindering the implementation of Africa’s regional integration agenda has been the lack of an effective monitoring mechanism. How can the Af... READ MORE

Mill workers and mill towns across northern Ontario are fearing the start of another trade war with the US over softwood lumber. That's because the trade deal that helped... READ MORE

According to Liam Fox, Britain’s international trade secretary, modern businesses compete in a “post-geography trading world”. The UK’s proximity to continental Europe co... READ MORE

Standards are a vital element in trade, because they help business interaction and access to markets in the economy. Standards and compliance can also encourage trade by... READ MORE

After years of looking to China as a source of growth, Southeast Asian countries are turning their attention back to the world’s largest economy on the other side of the... READ MORE

EU trade ministers affirmed last week that finishing negotiations on a bilateral trade and investment deal with the US before year’s end is an “unrealistic... READ MORE

In Ottawa last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that his country will commence “exploratory talks” as a first step towards poten... READ MORE

On 22-26 September, African and US ministers, trade officials, civil society, and business sector representatives gathered in Washington D.C. to discuss the implementa... READ MORE

The ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is crucial at a time when protectionist sentiments are on the rise around the world, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loon... READ MORE

The steady march of globalization that powered the world economy for the past 30 years is stalling out at a time when leading political figures in the United States and e... READ MORE

Members of the European parliament (MEPs) have approved, on 14 September 2016, the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and six member states of the Sou... READ MORE

Trade officials from the EU, Canada, and the United States have been pushing two major international accords over the past week, aiming to make a compelling case in ti... READ MORE

The Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam finally have a solid date for the enforcement of their free trade agreement. While the EEU will tout the agreement as its first tr... READ MORE

Few issues in this campaign cycle seem as toxic as trade: Both major-party presidential candidates oppose President Obama’s 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, and congr... READ MORE

The Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) concluded a series of leaders’ level meetings last week, gathering in Vientiane, Laos, for three days of talks on &l...; READ MORE

US President Barack Obama continued to make the case for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during a visit to Asia last week, warning of the risk to his country&rsquo...; READ MORE

As the regional integration agenda in Africa gains speed, is the economic engagement of emerging economies on the continent contributing to that agenda? If so, how? If... READ MORE

On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom (UK) held a referendum on whether to unwind its relationship with the European Union (EU). The UK populace chose “Brexit.” It was a c... READ MORE

The UK and Australia announced on Wednesday that they are establishing a working group to explore the possible options for a future bilateral trade pact, which the two si... READ MORE

Economic globalization hasn’t won any popularity contests this summer. After 25 million primary voters supported the protectionist rhetoric of Bernie Sanders and Donald T... READ MORE

In the furore over how Britain should look post-Brexit, it’s surprising that we haven’t heard more about South Korea. Because whether it’s Switzerland, Norway or Canada,... READ MORE

The US presidential election is looming large at the Canadian government's summer retreat, with US trade ties among the discussion points for Prime Minister Justin Trudea... READ MORE

Latin America needs greater economic integration and a merger of Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance should be the objective, according to Argentine president Mauricio Macr... READ MORE

When Donald Trump delivered his big economic speech in Detroit earlier this month, free trade — and the harm it has allegedly done to U.S. workers — was at the center of... READ MORE

Given that the two contenders for the U.S. presidency are strongly against free trade agreements, you would think that they are reflecting the views of the American peopl... READ MORE

Negotiations between Pakistan and Iran on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have failed to make any further progress as Iran hasn't given the draft of Free Trade Framework agree... READ MORE

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in a joint press conference with visiting President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, after their bilateral meetings here today, said t... READ MORE

Battling a powerful anti-trade tide, President Obama vowed on Tuesday to continue pressing for his historic trans-Pacific trade deal over opposition from both Hillary Cli... READ MORE

Argentina and Mexico agree on the need to reach absolute integration and free trade, as part of the closer bilateral relations confirmed with the visit to Buenos Aires of... READ MORE

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has floated a proposal for a free trade zone to be created in Auckland near to the airport. Alibaba president Michael Evans promoted the... READ MORE

Trade Minister Steve Ciobo will travel to Jakarta this week in his first trade-related overseas trip since the election, underscoring the emphasis Australia is placing on... READ MORE

The global economic recovery remains “weaker than desirable,” READ MORE

Trade ministries, just as other parts of government, need to respond to calls from the public and from global leaders for action on major issues. This column argues that... READ MORE

WTO members need to avoid putting up barriers and “get trade moving again” in order to address slow global economic growth, according to the Director-General’s mid-year r... READ MORE

The U.K.’s top trade official sought to assure Americans on Monday that London wants to preserve and advance close economic ties as the country moves to exit the European... READ MORE

President Barack Obama and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto outlined a series of trade and commerce efforts, including pushing for approval of the trans-Pacific pact... READ MORE

Chancellor Philip Hammond has begun discussions with China on an ambitious free trade deal which could see greater access for major Chinese banks and businesses to the UK... READ MORE

The signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and the EAC (East African Community) due to be ratified in October 2016 has been postponed, comi... READ MORE

The Republican National Convention (RNC) adopted the final version of its “READ MORE

The new government of UK Prime Minister Theresa May has begun exploring possible options for trade deals with third countries, officials say, though the process to for... READ MORE

The EU and Indonesia have now launched negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), officials confirmed this week, with the first round of t... READ MORE

US and EU officials reaffirmed last week that they still aim to clinch a bilateral trade and investment pact this year, while acknowledging that much work remains in a... READ MORE

Least developed countries lose an estimated $23 billion per year, equal to about 10 per cent of their exports to the Group of 20 (G20) through failure to comply with G20... READ MORE

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda recognises the important role that trade can play as a driver of sustainable and inclusive development. For this potential to m... READ MORE

The Aid for Trade (AfT) initiative launched at the WTO’s 2005 Hong-Kong ministerial meeting has been successful at raising funds. But after five biennial reviews... READ MORE

June 23 marked the UN Public Service Day, the official international day of recognition for the value and virtue of public service to the community and its role in the... READ MORE

In today’s globalised economy, understanding global value chains (GVCs) is essential for the development of trade and investment. This article presents a number... READ MORE

Canadian energy giant TransCanada has now filed a request for investor-state arbitration in connection with the US government’s rejection last year of its applic... READ MORE

After several decades of covering Latin American affairs, I'm pretty used to seeing developing countries that are deeply divided over where they should fit in the global... READ MORE

Rob Davies, South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry, recently announced the upcoming launch of Trade Africa, which will replace what was previously known a... READ MORE

The EU trade commissioner said Monday that China has to give European companies the same kind of market access that Chinese companies enjoy in Europe before discussions c... READ MORE

In the wake of the Brexit vote, the UK business secretary announced the exploration of free trade agreement (FTA) talks with India. The same announcement mentioned potent... READ MORE

The Government of Canada remains committed to working with Ukrainian government and business leaders to deepen the commercial ties between our countries and create jobs,... READ MORE

Lawmakers from the US Democratic Party wish to see trade deals that feature stronger environmental and labour protections, while having mixed feelings on the merits of... READ MORE

The European Commission proposed on Tuesday that a planned trade deal with Canada be s... READ MORE

The conventional wisdom in trade policy circles for some years now has been that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is incapable of moving ahead meaningfully on a mode... READ MORE

The U.K.’s decision to leave the EU means the loss of a major political and economic partner with a history of championing free trade at a critical moment for a mammoth a... READ MORE

The immediate reaction of financial markets to Britain’s decision to leave the EU has been telling. Sterling has fallen sharply but gilt yields have rallied and the FTSE... READ MORE

When Donald Trump rode down his golden escalator and announced his run for the US presidency last summer, few may have recognised the official end of the era of free-trad... READ MORE

Britain will have to reach a new trade agreement with the European Union following its decision to sever links with Brussels. The task will be complex and will have to be... READ MORE

The government will now face the challenge of negotiating the terms of the post-exit relationship between the UK and the EU. Many of the issues that will have to be resol... READ MORE

Brexit blah blah blah – what should the US do? One answer may be to immediately reorient trade policy toward a US-UK free trade agreement, perhaps to be followed by a US-... READ MORE

Negotiators have held their first round of talks to update a bilateral economic accord between the EU and Mexico, meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on 13-14 June... READ MORE

Negotiators meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, last week continued their efforts to finalise talks this year for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a... READ MORE

The year 2015 was a crucial one for Africa regarding the negotiation of the first continent-wide investment agreement: the Pan-African Investment Code (PAIC).

&n...; READ MORE

Ours is an age of free trade agreements (FTAs) of all sorts and of various depth and breadth in the issues they cover - simple bilateral preferential trade agreements,... READ MORE

WTO members are preparing to put in place the first new global trade deal in decades – the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) – given that three-quarters o... READ MORE

WTO members are preparing to put in place the first new global trade deal in decades – the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) – given that three-quarters o... READ MORE

Argentina is now an official observer to the Pacific Alliance, the South American bloc that includes Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru as full members. As a resul... READ MORE

On 10 June, six countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – specifically, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Swazil... READ MORE

Business lobby groups from several of the countries that could provide a model for a post-Brexit UK have spoken out to advise the British to remain in the EU. In April, M... READ MORE

On 10 June, six countries from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) – specifically, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Swazil... READ MORE

Trade Minister Todd McClay is out to banish the taint of excessive secrecy from New Zealand's free trade negotiations by holding a public session with this country's trad... READ MORE

The European Union and six countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) today signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), the first of its kind betw... READ MORE

Making progress in current and future trade negotiations was touted as a valuable way for increasing productivity and generating inclusive growth, according to a joint... READ MORE

An investor-state arbitration tribunal under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) recently released its d... READ MORE

Leaders from the G-7 coalition of major advanced economies issued a harsh warning last week over the ramifications a “Brexit” would have on the global econ... READ MORE

Representatives from the African Union’s (AU) member states held the second session of the Continental Free Trade Area Negotiating Forum (CFTA-NF), continuing th... READ MORE

Life as a trade negotiator can be frustrating for many reasons. One of the main sources for this frustration is the contrast between the often glacial pace of multilat... READ MORE

In recent years the debate over investor state dispute settlement (ISDS) has heated up and in Europe is reaching boiling point. European governments were once the main... READ MORE

Restoring economic growth is the primary mission of the G-20. International commerce — exports, imports, foreign direct investment (FDI), international licensing... READ MORE

US President Barack Obama said on Monday that he is “confident” that his country’s Congress will be able to ratify a sweeping 12-country trade deal,... READ MORE

Trade ministers from 21 Asia-Pacific economies meeting in Arequipa, Peru, last week cal... READ MORE

No matter how much some US presidential candidates may deride free trade, it remains the backbone of the American economy. Without it, the country would become significan... READ MORE

The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA, in French: Fédération Internationale des Associations de Transitaires et Assimilés) released on... READ MORE

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was finally signed in F... READ MORE

The European Commission has confirmed plans to submit a proposal to the European Council in June for signing the 28-nation bloc’s trade deal with Canada, amid co... READ MORE

The EU and Mercosur exchanged offers on goods and services in their trade talks last week, in an effort to give new momentum to the long-running negotiations. The move... READ MORE

Australia and Singapore have agreed on a series of steps to build on their 2003 trade deal, officials announced earlier this month. The measures are in the context of... READ MORE

New Zealand lawmakers held their first “reading” last week of an omnibus bill that would enact the necessary changes to domestic law for bringing the Trans... READ MORE

The services sector is becoming a key driver of sustainable economic growth and structural transformation in African economies. The World Bank estimates that the secto... READ MORE

The key challenge for policymakers in international trade over the coming years will be to ensure that mega-regional and plurilateral agreements complement rather than... READ MORE

Negotiations are ongoing between Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries and China to reach a free trade agreement, an official of the Federation of the GCC Chambers (F... READ MORE

At a meeting in Brussels this week, officials from the European Union (EU) and Mercosur exchanged offers to cut tariffs and expand market access for each others’ goods an... READ MORE

Mexican Trade Minister Herminio Blanco told a gathering of Mexican and Japanese business leaders earlier this month that “Mexico will become more competitive when the TPP... READ MORE

Ambassador Nguyen Hoanh Nam, head of the Vietnamese delegation to ASEAN made the propose at a meeting between the ASEAN’s Committee of Permanent Representative (CPR) and... READ MORE

Two months ahead of the nominating conventions for the US’ main political parties, the remaining presidential contenders continue to escalate their rhetoric on t... READ MORE

Recent decades have witnessed a growing trend towards regional economic integration. As of February 2016, some 625 notifications of regional trade agreements had been rec... READ MORE

With the India-EU FTA negotiations deadlocked, a top European Parliament member has said the two sides could explore the option of a "less ambitious" trade pact and indic... READ MORE

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and European Union leaders have agreed to expedite negotiations for a free trade deal and reach a broad accord by the end of the year, Japanese... READ MORE

The claim: Leaving the EU would put £250bn of trade at risk, according to Britain Stronger in Europe. Reality Check verdict: The group has taken a set of figures predicti... READ MORE

Negotiators for an EU-US trade and investment deal concluded their thirteenth round of talks on Friday, with both sides reiterating their wishes to conclude an agreeme... READ MORE

The European Union and Japan should aim to conclude their negotiations for a sweeping free trade deal this year, leaders from both sides said on Tuesday, following hig... READ MORE

An investor-state arbitration tribunal under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) recently released its d... READ MORE

Trade issues took centre stage during the 103^rd session of the Council of Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, which... READ MORE

The Pacific Alliance free trade agreement eliminates member countries’ tariffs on 92% of imports and exports with the aim of developing regional value chains. The free tr... READ MORE

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) are one step closer to realising a free trade agreement after talks to discuss the scope of documents outlining the items they want... READ MORE

Prime Minister John Key and two of his senior ministers will be pushing for greater trade access to China during an official visit there this week. While two-way trade ha... READ MORE

European Union (EU) agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan ruled out that the bloc will let the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to weaken EU standards... READ MORE

With the demise of the Doha Development Round at the World Trade Organization Ministerial in Nairobi this past December, the multilateral approach to global trade negotia... READ MORE

WTO members revived this week long-standing talks to deepen the WTO’s scrutiny of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in line with instructions laid out by ministers last De... READ MORE

Government sees a "possibility" of conclusion of free trade pacts with EU as well as EFTA, the four-member grouping that includes Switzerland, this year, Commerce Ministe... READ MORE

The Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII) Report – Africa’s first effort to measure progress on regional integration – was launched Saturday, April 2 in Addis Ababa, E... READ MORE

China, South Korea and Japan will hold working-level talks on the trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in Seoul this week, South Korea's trade ministry said on Monday. T... READ MORE

Representatives from more than 1,000 Australian businesses will be part of Australia's "largest ever trade mission" to China this month, following the signing of the Chin... READ MORE

Australia has offered to be flexible in the area of services and customs procedures to get an early agreement on the proposed bilateral free trade pact with India. “Canbe... READ MORE

Free trade was long virtually the only issue about which all economists agreed. Free trade was good and moving toward freer trade was always better than protectionism. Th... READ MORE

International trade and foreign investment have come to occupy pivotal roles in international relations today. For India and the EU, this holds true too. Thus, what is li... READ MORE

Dialogue with China about a free-trade agreement has increased since Canada's new Liberal government took office late last year, Canada's international trade minister sai... READ MORE

Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed by South Korea with Peru and Chile were successful and boosted bilateral trade between parties, Korean Ambassador to Peru Keun Ho Jang... READ MORE

Clinching an ambitious bilateral trade and investment pact in the near term remains a key strategic and economic priority, said the US’ and EU’s top trade... READ MORE

Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra has revealed the Mercosur regional trade bloc is discussing the possibility of signing a free-trade agreement with the United States, bar... READ MORE

The debate on trade in the U.S. presidential election should concern Korea because trade has come under fire from the left and right. On the left, Vermont Sen. Bernie San... READ MORE

Indonesian and Australian free trade talks are set to progress this week in a bid to turn around "underdone" business and investment ties following a period of heightened... READ MORE

Egypt’s vast infrastructure ambitions are most impressively illustrated by the immense Suez Canal expansion that has transformed the vital waterway, while numero... READ MORE

A leading Japanese trade policy expert says there may finally be some progress toward a Canada-Japan free-trade agreement after years of inactivity, as both Ottawa and To... READ MORE

The Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC10) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya was held in circumstances that left many members questioning the future of the WTO. 

&... READ MORE

South Asia’s economic potential has long been constrained by low levels of economic integration. Despite being closely linked geographically, culturally and historically,... READ MORE

The annual summit between Japan and the European Union could be downgraded to an informal dialogue, as the bloc is frustrated at the slow progress of free-trade talks bet... READ MORE

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of HCM City (ITPC) to fa... READ MORE

The Executive Branch authorized the trip of Peru’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ana Maria Sanchez to Mexico City for the Pacific Alliance meetings on 16-18 March, according t... READ MORE

Turkey and Ukraine have a lot in common. Both straddle the fault line between East and West. Both are trade transit routes and both have similar geopolitical outlooks. Bu... READ MORE

Senior Officials from the 21 APEC member economies have convened in Lima to develop new measures for delivering higher quality growth. They are intent on improving social... READ MORE

Last week we looked at visa openness in Africa and concluded that the continent remains largely closed with its citizens requiring visas to travel to 55% of other African... READ MORE

Indonesian Trade Minister Thomas Lembong will visit Australia this month as both countries prioritise a free-trade deal that had stalled amid diplomatic tensions and a cl... READ MORE

The first session of the 23rd round of meetings of technical groups of the Pacific Alliance started on Tuesday featuring government officials of Chile, Colombia, Mexico a... READ MORE

Canada and the European Union (EU) have agreed to the inclusion in their proposed free trade agreement of a new approach to investment protection and dispute resolution.... READ MORE

There has been a good deal of hype touting the recently concluded Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as the first ‘21st century’ trade pact. Whether it lives up to... READ MORE

The first meeting of the Continental Free Trade Area Negotiating Forum (CFTA-NF) laid the groundwork for upcoming substantive negotiations on Africa’s largest fr... READ MORE

Uruguay which currently holds the Mercosur chair is enthusiastic about advancing the agreement since there is now a clear determination from the four members (Argentina,... READ MORE

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is optimistic that the Philippines-European Free Trade Association (PH-EFTA) Free Trade Agreement will be sealed before June 20... READ MORE

South Korean Ambassador Dr Song Jong-hwan has voiced the hope that formal negotiations with Pakistan for a free trade agreement will start immediately after June this yea... READ MORE

India may take a re-look at its free trade agreements once the World Trade Organization's trade facilitation agreement (TFA) comes into force. The move follows a meeting... READ MORE

More than 1,500 public and private business delegates and state leaders agreed on 20-21 February to mobilise massive investments for the implementation of Africa's larges... READ MORE

South American bloc Mercosur is offering to open up 93 percent of its trade to competition from the European Union to seal a long-sought free-trade deal, Uruguay's presid... READ MORE

Regional trade and economic ties were high on the agenda during a two-day summit of US and Southeast Asian leaders in the California resort of Sunnylands, held from 15... READ MORE

New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay has been holding meetings about future negotiations with the EU in Brussels. A free trade agreement with the European Union would b... READ MORE

The economic bloc comprising Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru or Pacific Alliance is expected to grow 3.1% and 4.5% in 2017 and 2018, respectively, while imports are set... READ MORE

There is growing concern in South Korea that the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could further hurt the country's economy, which is already experiencing a steep... READ MORE

United Arab Emirates leader and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is set to arrive in India on Wednesday along with seven ministers on a visit that i... READ MORE

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, a comprehensive free trade agreement spanning parts of the Asia-Pacific, is expected to lower tariffs on food and agricultural products. Th... READ MORE

At the last Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November 2015, the United States and China advanced their own set of interests with respect to trade agreem... READ MORE

The Trans Pacific Partnership, one of the biggest multinational trade deals ever, has been signed by ministers from its 12 member nations in New Zealand. The ceremony in... READ MORE

Peru and 11 other countries including the United States formally signed the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in New Zealand on Thursday. With 12 member countries whose... READ MORE

Members of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) alliance have released documents detailing progress on implementing their joint pledge to cut applied... READ MORE

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) — the former a free trade agreement covering 12 countries from North and... READ MORE

The international debate on the potential merits and pitfalls of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement has ramped up in recent weeks, ahead of the pact’s... READ MORE

With the death-knell of the Doha Round seemingly signaled at the recent Nairobi Ministerial, and questions about the relevancy of the WTO intensifying, anyone reflecting... READ MORE

Members of a delegation from Turkey have underscored the need for signing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with a view to boost the existing trade ties between Pakistan and Tur... READ MORE

Indonesia will speed up negotiations on the Indonesia-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aiming to have an agreement with the EU com... READ MORE

Malaysia's trade minister warned Tuesday that the country will lag behind Vietnam if it does not accede to the Trans-Pacific Partnership as parliament began a session to... READ MORE

The TPP was originally known as the Trans- Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership concluded in 2006 among Singapore, New Zealand, Chile and Brunei (P-4 agreement) as a me... READ MORE

Despite missing the deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australia’s then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott for December 31, 2015, negotiators are still hopeful that... READ MORE

Rocketing Chinese demand and new free trade agreements in Asia have helped lift the value of Australian wine exports to their highest level since before the global financ... READ MORE

The Premier and Army Chief’s diplomatic trip can be dubbed a success considering Pakistan’s apparent haste to initiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with Iran in the wake... READ MORE

Singapore can be an effective launch pad for Chinese digital companies to expand into the region, says Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S. Iswaran. He noted yes... READ MORE

Pakistan’s trade policy in recent years seems rather confusing and purposeless, to put it mildly. With the global economy slowing down post 2008 and remaining so till tod... READ MORE

China and the oil-dependent Gulf monarchies said Wednesday they would accelerate talks on a free trade deal which has been under negotiation for more than a decade. The... READ MORE

Grape-growers in the New South Wales Upper Hunter appear to be reaping the benefits of Australia's free trade agreement with Japan, a year after the deal was finalised. E... READ MORE

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and U.S. President Barack Obama will sit down at the White House to discuss a number of crucial issues from security to the eco... READ MORE

Say goodbye to the golden age of the container ship. Compared with the level of economic growth, global trade is in the midst of its worst slowdown in decades. And even i... READ MORE

Experts have urged the government to complete its homework before engaging into the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Thailand as, historically, FTAs have failed to usher f... READ MORE

China wants to forge a historic free-trade deal with Canada, but a senior Chinese official said this will require Canadian concessions on investment restrictions and a co... READ MORE

The proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) will benefit both sides and create jobs, trade opportunities as well as facilitate inves... READ MORE

US President Barack Obama openly called upon domestic lawmakers to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, referring once more to the need for Washington... READ MORE

South Africa and the US reached an agreement last week on the technical issues which have been blocking US meat – essentially poultry, pork and beef – impo... READ MORE

Trade Minister Todd McClay is not an openly combative politician. He yesterday told the Herald he plans to take a painstaking approach to selling the case for the Trans-P... READ MORE

Canada finally made official the opening of its market to Argentine boneless beef, both fresh and frozen. This happens after thirteen years of negotiations, according to... READ MORE

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) Singapore has entered 10 agreements to boost economic ties between Singapore and China, it said on Monday. The bank is part... READ MORE

The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Radiant Businessmen Forum (RBF) of Turkey with the objective of pr... READ MORE

A legal dispute over the Keystone XL oil pipeline is giving opponents of a Pacific trade agreement a fresh argument in their effort to get Congress to kill the pact. They... READ MORE

The Mercosur bloc should exchange free-trade offers with the European Union (EU) in the first quarter of the year to move forward with the free trade agreement between bo... READ MORE

Three months ago, trade negotiators pulled an all-nighter and wrapped up discussions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in Atlanta. There was much rejoicing, as it ha... READ MORE

The package that came out of the December 2015 World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Nairobi—the first hosted by an African nation—has been hailed as o... READ MORE

At the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, in November, President Obama reached out to elevate the United States–ASEAN relationship to a ‘strategic partnership’ and invited ASE... READ MORE

The package that came out of the December 2015 World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Nairobi—the first hosted by an African nation—has been hailed as o... READ MORE

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce formally endorsed President Obama's Pacific Rim trade accord Wednesday, becoming the third major business association to support the 12-natio... READ MORE

Much of the world is entering into mega-regional free trade areas (FTAs). Indeed, October 5, 2015 marked the ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the most... READ MORE

China aims to have discussions with Sri Lanka next year on a proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in a bid to build stronger trade and investment ties, according to an art... READ MORE

African countries can now export their cotton to developed countries duty-and quota-free as from January 2016 following a global deal sealed in Nairobi at the World Trade... READ MORE

Singapore's trade and industry minister has called for a resumption of free trade talks between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations now that... READ MORE

An international trade agreement embraced by President Barack Obama and the Republican-controlled Congress is drawing fire from many presidential candidates, illustrating... READ MORE

This month, the United States National Intelligence Council released a sobering report entitled Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds. Most important, according to the a... READ MORE

In his address to fellow heads of state from Mercosur meeting in Paraguay, Macri called on the bloc, whose founding members are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay,... READ MORE

Chilean president Michelle Bachelet called for “a convergence among governments” of South America despite the “political and ideological differences&... READ MORE

Paraguay foreign minister Eladio Loizaga advanced some of the issues that will addressed on Monday's Mercosur presidential summit, when all of the members of the group's... READ MORE

Soaring agribusiness and other exports to Japan will be detailed today by Malcolm Turnbull in a development that will buoy ­industry and the government, reeling from the... READ MORE

Trade ministers continued to disagree over the future of the WTO’s negotiating function, as talks for the organisation’s Tenth Ministerial Conference (MC10... READ MORE

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is holding its 10th Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. While a deal promoting the interests of developed countries, known as the... READ MORE

South Africa will open a new tariff-free quota for U.S. poultry on Friday in an effort to avoid a suspension of its benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act,... READ MORE

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed a decree suspending Russia's free-trade agreement with Ukraine as of January 1, the same day Kiev is set to enter a similar t... READ MORE

Japan should aim to reach a free-trade agreement with the European Union next year or risk undermining EU interest in a deal, the 28-nation bloc’s chief negotiator warned... READ MORE

Negotiations at the WTO’s ministerial meet have gained pace, sources say, with Thursday’s talks set to run through the night as members search for common g... READ MORE

Trade ministers unanimously welcomed Afghanistan’s WTO membership deal, which was approved at a ceremony attended by Mr Mohammad Khan Rahmani of the Islamic Republic of A... READ MORE

Director-General Roberto Azevêdo welcomed on 17 December the pledges made by governments and private sector entities to help developing and least-developed countries impl... READ MORE

A group of 53 WTO members negotiating a tariff-cutting agreement on information and communication technology goods reached a final deal in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday... READ MORE

African nations are considering presenting a case against governments they accuse of distorting trade in cotton if this week’s negotiations in the Kenyan capital don’t de... READ MORE

More than 50 members of the World Trade Organisation on Wednesday concluded the biggest tariff-reduction deal in almost two decades, eliminating restrictions on the $1.3t... READ MORE

The World Trade Organization’s Tenth Ministerial Conference gets under way today in Nairobi – the first time the meetings have been held in Africa. Fourteen years ago, th... READ MORE

The first World Trade Organization’s ministerial conference on African soil has begun in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. Addressing the 10th ministerial conference Tuesday, K... READ MORE

Hopes of a breakthrough in the stalled Doha trade negotiations at World Trade Organisation gathering this week have faded after the conference chairwoman rejected calls f... READ MORE

The China Free Trade Agreement will be the biggest single policy expense in today’s budget update, costing around $4 billion over the four-year budget period, however it... READ MORE

In a global economic system characterized by the multiplication of bilateral trade agreements, regional economic organizations risk losing their traditional rationale and... READ MORE

Kenya has signaled willingness to support the implementation of the 2013 "Bali Package" by ratifying the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) reached at a previous minister... READ MORE

Negotiating officials at the 10th ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which begins on Tuesday will be hard-pressed to show that the multilateral bod... READ MORE

My ongoing review of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, a 6000-page document that remains under Congressional review, previously concluded that its e-co... READ MORE

Trade ministers are arriving in Nairobi, Kenya to begin their latest biennial conference, set to be held from 15-18 December. Whether the WTO meet will indeed be able... READ MORE

The World Trade Organization could miss an opportunity to advance fairer international trade at its 10th ministerial conference in Kenya this week as it struggles to resp... READ MORE

Exports from Latin America and the Caribbean will drop about 14 per cent in 2015 due to a steep decline in prices and weak demand for the region’s main exports from key t... READ MORE

One of the truisms of the postwar multilateral trade negotiations is that each “round” of trade talks has been longer than the previous one. The Uruguay round, which led... READ MORE

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) could miss an opportunity to advance fairer international trade at its 10th ministerial conference in Kenya this week as it struggles t... READ MORE

Expect to see more Vietnamese buying Italian machinery and more Austrians wearing sneakers from Vietnam, as the southeast Asian country moves closer to finalizing a trade... READ MORE

A tripartite free trade agreement signed in June by three African regional blocs was urged to be ratified quickly, according to the outcome of a meeting of Council of Min... READ MORE

Kenya is keen on having subsidies on agricultural exports by developed countries removed as the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference opens in Nairobi on... READ MORE

After years of negotiations, the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries wrapped up a sweeping trade agreement in October that supporters say will eliminate obst... READ MORE

As 2015 draws to a close, the Indonesian government is trying to convince the jury on two counts — first, that it has turned the corner towards more constructive economic... READ MORE