Malaysian companies to benefit from FTAs
New Straits Times, July 31, 2008

The government believes free trade agreements (FTAs) can expedite trade through the lowering or elimination of tariffs and non-tariffs measures, as well as spur investment and liberalise services. The International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said preliminary assessments indicate that the preferential market access provided under the various FTAs had positively contributed to the expansion of Malaysia’s exports.<<More>>

Chile, Australia sign FTA
Xinhuanet, July 31, 2008

Chile and Australia signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Wednesday, which is regarded as "exemplary" of both countries, according to information from Canberra, Australia. Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley and his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith said that the FTA will boost bilateral trade and investment. The agreement will slash the current fees between both countries by 97 percent, and eliminate the fees altogether in 2015.<<More>>

SAARC chasm
Economist, July 30, 2008

There may be some awkward pauses this week in Colombo, where South Asia’s leaders are due to meet to discuss, among other shared concerns, terrorism. It is not that they will be unprepared. Terrorism, with food security and energy, was long ago listed as a major talking point for the annual summit of the South Asia Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which is being held in Sri Lanka’s capital.<<More>>

New supplemental CEPA pact signed
News.gov.hk, July 29, 2008

Supplement V to the Hong Kong-Mainland Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) has been signed, expanding the total number of services sectors covered from 38 to 40. The Mainland will introduce 29 liberalisation measures covering 17 service sectors, including two new sectors - services incidental to mining, and related scientific and technical consulting services.<<More>>

New "Silk Road" to Benefit Tajiks, Kyrgyz
iStockAnalyst, July 29, 2008

Despite conflicts arising frequently in border areas, the leader of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and the leader of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, firmly announced at a recent meeting in the Tajik town of Qayroqqum that they would consistently develop economic relations between the two states. Moreover, they will together build transport links and coordinate their actions in the construction of hydro-energy facilities.<<More>>

Sri Lanka develops cold feet on trade pact with India
Live mint, July 28, 2008

An India-Sri Lanka trade and investment agreement billed as a landmark is being delayed, ostensibly because the island nation’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, an avowed Sinhala nationalist, doesn’t want to be seen as authoring such a close partnership with New Delhi, diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity said.<<More>>

Making Saarc real
The Daily Star, July 28, 2008

WE have been talking regional cooperation for a long time; Saarc itself is over 20 years old. There must be some real results now; something that citizens can feel. This article makes a proposal that is easy to implement, and which helps in providing the lowest-cost mobile services in the world. Then, we can refute the cynics who claim Saarc is a useless talk shop. Talk is what we do well; why not talk more, and cheaply, across the borders that divide Saarc? That would be a way to make Saarc real.<<More>>

Need To Reduce Road Barriers - Deputy Minister
Modern Ghana, July 27, 2008

Dr Charles Yaw Brempong-Yeboah, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD yesterday expressed concern about the many road barriers jointly mounted by personnel of Ghana Police Service, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service and Ghana Immigration Service at the country's borders. He noted that some of them had no effect on national security and public order and significantly slowed down intra-regional trade, increase costs and reduce the competitiveness of local products.<<More>>

Iran and China to strengthen cooperation
Press TV, July 27, 2008

China's economic initiatives in Iran go far beyond the energy field and include a wide spectrum of areas, ranging from infrastructure construction to trade and tourism. Beijing is helping Tehran to build dams, shipyards and many other projects. More than 100 Chinese state companies are operating in Iran to develop ports and airports in the major Iranian cities, mine-development projects and oil and gas infrastructures.<<More>>

Sharing power
Daily News, July 26, 2008

Sri Lanka is facing a power crisis at the moment, with the National Grid unable to cope with the surging demand. Every year, the demand for mains electricity increases almost exponentially. The present Government has started several long overdue projects, but they will not come online for a few more years.<<More>> 

Ministers agree to remove trade barriers within Africa
Afrik.com, July 26, 2008

Speaking at the conclusion of an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) here Tuesday, the ministers of trade, finance and economic planning said the regional economic blocs in Africa had been involved in trade facilitation. Addressing the closing session, Kenyan Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka said the E ast African nation was committed to regional initiatives that would promote trade within the African continent, especially the role played by the pan African insurer, ATI, in providing political risk cover for investors. <<More>> 

Snail ride to people: SAARC's Stark reality
Daily Mirror, July 25, 2008

There is definitely a lesson for SAARC in the much younger Mercosur. Critics often point to the success of the EU or ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) and tell SAARC to pull up its socks and surge forward. But the EU and ASEAN are much older than SAARC. That a much younger Mercosur is well ahead of SAARC should be an eye-opener for South Asian leaders. <<More>>

EAC signs trade pact to remove barriers
Xinhua-China, July 24, 2008

East African countries have signed an agreement with regional commodity dealers that will enable them participate more in policy-making and facilitation of trade. The agreement signed in Nairobi late Wednesday will also remove non tariff barriers and allow free movement of food and trade in the region. The agreement was signed between East African Community (EAC) and the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), Africa Cotton and Textile Industries Federation and the Eastern and South African Dairy Association. <<More>>

China-ASEAN trade prospects promising
People's Daily Online, July 24, 2008

There is no question that the 10 ASEAN countries are China's good neighbors, friends and partners. Since China and the ASEAN initiated formal dialogue in 1991, the two sides have continued to cooperate in political, economic, social, cultural, and other matters. <<More>>

Trade Ministers Focus On Regional Agreements
Pacific Magazine, July 24, 2008

Forum Ministers responsible for trade met in Rarotonga, Cook Islands on July 22 to consider and make decisions on a number of trade-related issues of great importance to the region, according to a release from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. Those issues included participation by Forum Island Countries (FICs) in the World Trade Organization (WTO), progress and status of the Regional Trade Facilitation Program (RTFP) under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) and deepening trade and economic cooperation between all Forum Members (PACER Plus). <<More>>

Indonesia to boost bilateral trade
The News International, July 24, 2008

Consul General of Indonesia Mustaqeem visited the Pakistan Commodities Importers and Traders Association (PCITA) to explore means to boost bilateral trade between Indonesia and Pakistan. In his welcome address, PCITA Chairman Raees Tar Muhammad laid emphasis on a preferential trade agreement between the two brotherly countries to attract lost business from those countries which are already under the FTA of Malaysia, India and Sri Lanka. <<More>>

India, ASEAN seek early FTA
Press Trust of India, July 23, 2008

India and ASEAN today voiced their strong commitment for expeditious and successful conclusion of their Free Trade Agreement (FTA). At the foreign ministers meeting of East Asia Summit (EAS), which was represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, both sides reiterated their strong commitment for an expeditious and successful conclusion of India-ASEAN FTA, official sources said. <<More>>

Economic and political utility of the SAARC Summit to Sri Lanka
Daily News, July 23, 2008

The Colombo SAARC Summit would deliberate on the issue of food security and power and energy. Both these issues are most conspicuous to this developing region since the scarcity of power/energy and food could have a negative impact not only on the economies but on the populace as well.<<More>>

Indian Investment in Africa: In the Shadows of China
African Path, July 22, 2008

Although India is an economic powerhouse in its own right, in the West we don't hear that much about India's recent economic progress because so much of this growth has taken place in the shadow of China's advances. <<More>>

Forum Ministers talk trade
Fiji Times, July 21, 2008

A sixteen member Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers will meet in Cook Islands this week to deliberate on further steps to expand trade and economic relations within the region. Pacnews reports, the ministers will discuss Developments on the Regional Trade Facilitation Programme under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER), implementation progress of PACER and an update on PACER-related studies will be discussed by Ministers.<<More>>

Senate urged to ratify JPEPA before ASEAN summit in November
Inquirer.net, July 21, 2008

The Senate needs to concur with the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement before the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-Japan Free Trade Agreement could be finalized at the regional summit in November, Senator Manuel Roxas said Monday.<<More>>

Regional NGOs campaign for EPA renegotiation
Barbados Advocate, July 21, 2008

Several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the region are opposed to the CARIFORUM signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Commission (EC) in its current form and are circulating petitions promoting its renegotiation.<<More>>

Sri Lanka yet to approve CEPA
Hindu, July 20, 2008

India is surprised over the announcement here by the Sri Lanka Government that the Indo-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is yet to be approved by the Mahinda Rajapaksa Government.<<More>>

SAARC: The poor relation in regionalism
Sunday Times, July 20, 2008

It is a commonplace among commentators writing on the progress (or lack of it) of our regional organisation, SAARC, to compare it with our older cousin ASEAN and even with the European Union. Such comparisons do make SAARC seem the poor relation. That is a fact and no amount of white-washing would cover-up the salient truth that SAARC is a poor relation not simply because 40% of the world’s poor live in the countries that make up the South Asian regional grouping.<<More>>

Indonesian exporters yet to make use of RI-Japan economic cooperation
Antara, July 19, 2008

Two weeks have gone by after the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (IJ-EPA) took effect on July 1 as of this month, but Indonesian exporters have not yet been able to make use of the agreement. Practically, a nil percent import duty is not yet enjoyed by Indonesian businessmen who have exported their products to Japan. <<More>>