North-South bilateral and regional trade agreements could reduce the scope for national policies that support development and structural change in developing countries, says a recent report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
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A recent report by the International Labour Organisation says that while the share of working poverty in South Asia has decreased significantly, one-third of the working population is “potentially underutilised” and there is a deficit in productive or “decent work”.
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The US commerce department’s decision to slash import duties on shrimps had raised hopes among shrimp exporters, including India, of a total withdrawal of the duty.
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The 21-member APEC summit in Sydney, being held amidst heavy security, has not opened its membership, and has been criticised by civil society groups for not addressing the critical problems of poverty.
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A new strategy paper from the British home and foreign office seeks to ensure that the “right” kind of migrants come to Britain.
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Trade diplomats returned to the negotiating table on September 3, 2007, to find a solution to the key issues of agriculture and industrial goods that have bogged down the Doha round of the WTO.
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Some movement is expected on the long-pending India-ASEAN FTA negotiations in time for the November summit.
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The multi-nodal transport corridor linking the eight-member SAARC nations, agreed upon at the SAARC summit in April, has been finalised at the secretary level and will be presented to ministers meeting on August 31, 2007.
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The 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum may consider combining existing bilateral and free trade agreements in the region into an over-arching Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific at a summit next month.
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In a preliminary impact assessment report of the impact of the floods in Bangladesh, the World Bank says inflation rates will go up and food may become more costly.
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The Japanese prime minister’s visit to India resulted in a currency swap agreement and promises to triple bilateral trade in three years.
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At a meeting on August 20, 2007, India and Pakistan agreed to allow trucks to carry cargo across the Attari-Wagah border, in order to facilitate trade.
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With 200 businessmen in his entourage, the Japanese prime minister’s visit to India on August 21-23, 2007, has greater implications for business than for politics.
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The United States has asked for a Dispute Settlement Panel (DSP) to be set up on its complaint against China’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection.
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There are growing protests in India against US retail giant Wal-Mart’s advent into the Indian retail sector, hitherto dominated by small grocers and shop-owners.
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Complaints that the subsidy announced for sugar exporters in March 2007 was not WTO-complaint has impelled the Indian government to modify the subsidy.
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The Madras High Court, on August 6, 2007, rejected a challenge by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis of a provision in the Indian Patents Act that denies patents for minor innovations in known drugs, thereby allowing cheaper generic drugs to be available.
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Pakistan wants the United States to pass legislation on “reconstruction opportunity zones” that would allow it and Afghanistan to export textiles, clothing and other goods without paying US duties.
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A recent study on labour flexibility in Sri Lanka shows that the job market is ‘informalising’ and trade unions are losing their clout.
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ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Manila on July 30-31, 2007, signed two documents that will protect and promote the rights of migrant workers of member states.
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Many developing countries have been severely critical of the NAMA draft text circulated on July 17, 2007, calling it flawed and biased against them.
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The two-day secretarial-level talks between India and Pakistan agreed to facilitate trade between the two countries in a number of areas, and expressed the hope of boosting bilateral trade to US$ 10 billion by 2010.
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An agreement allowing Pakistan and Mauritius to mutually export products on a preferential basis was signed between the two countries on July 31, 2007.
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WTO Director General Pascal Lamy urged members to examine the draft negotiating texts on agriculture and NAMA and return to “intensive negotiations” in September.
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Legislators from farm-rich American states have ensured that the farm bill that goes before the US Congress does not cut farm subsidies.
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Rwanda becomes the first country to use the WTO procedure called the ‘30 August Decision’ to import patented HIV/AIDS drugs.
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India, the world’s biggest importer of edible oil, cut its import duty on edible oil in a bid to contain high domestic prices.
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India’s minister of state for commerce told the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce that a blanket ban on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Bangladesh to India “made no sense”.
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A Financial Times/Harris poll of six rich European countries shows a popular backlash against globalisation.
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Gordon Brown, Britain’s new prime minister, told a news conference that there was enough common ground between major plays to get a deal on the stalled Doha round of trade talks, although his EU partner France was not as optimistic.
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Twelve Chinese companies signed agreements with their Pakistani counterparts, on July 19, 2007, to buy $ 210 million worth of goods from Pakistan.
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The annual report of the UN Conference on Trade and Development argues that domestic policies as well as foreign investment policies must put more resources into building up the scientific and technological capacities of least developed countries, to lift them out of poverty.
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The Chairs of the agriculture and NAMA negotiations at the WTO circulated revised draft ‘modalities’ for the Doha talks for countries to debate.
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The Chairs of the agriculture and NAMA groups at the WTO have tacitly acknowledged that draft negotiating texts will not be ready by July-end as originally envisaged, thus making it unlikely that the Doha Round will be completed by the end of this year.
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A meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO’s) Inter-Governmental Committee on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore was divided between developing countries that wanted a binding agreement, and developed countries that wanted a non-binding agreement to guard against misappropriation of resources.
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Brazil has formally challenged, in the WTO, the billions of dollars that the United States pays in farm subsidies.
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A little over a month after it cancelled a tender to import 1 million tonnes of wheat, citing high prices, India is set to import half the amount at much higher rates.
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The 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group, meeting in Cairns Australia, July 4-5, 2007, called on WTO countries to conclude the stalled Doha round of talks, and also explored plans for a regional FTA.
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The trade pact between the two countries, which came into force on July 1, 2007, is expected to boost bilateral trade to US$ 15 billion by 2011.
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With complaints pending in the WTO against its high import duties on alcohol, India has removed additional customs duty on foreign liquor.
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India and Japan want to speed up negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), but some glitches remain.
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Sri Lanka’s trade minister urges American apparel associations to use their good offices to obtain preferential access for Sri Lanka’s garment exports to the US.
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Trade ministers from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies meeting in Cairns, Australia, on July 5, 2007, are hoping to break the deadlock in the Doha round of trade talks.
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India’s Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, on a visit to Washington, said the trade-off between tariffs and subsidies in the Doha round of trade negotiations was not a valid one.
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The US has terminated trade benefits under its Generalised System of Preferences programme for some developing countries including India and Brazil.
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A working group set up to explore ways of improving India-Pakistan relations has mooted the idea of a free trade area between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.
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The Indian industries body, FICCI, estimates that India’s trade with Thailand will reach US$ 7 billion by 2010-11, up from US$ 2.2 billion currently.
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India’s commerce minister says the Group of Four (G4), which has been spearheading WTO negotiations, cannot do any more and it is now up to the rest of the WTO membership to take the Doha Round forward.
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Using software that enables better monitoring of pesticide residue is one of the measures taken by Indian grape-growers to boost exports to the European Union.
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Failure to arrive at a consensus on US farm subsidies and market access by developing countries have torpedoed the G4 talks that began in Potsdam on June 19, 2007.
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Trade and industry bodies in Canada and India will set up a taskforce to study the feasibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
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At a conference in Washington on Pakistan’s trade issues, speakers stressed better trade links with neighbours and less protectionist measures as the way to sustain growth.
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Public interest groups working on intellectual property rights in India have criticised the recent report of an inter-ministerial committee headed by Union Chemicals and Petrochemicals Secretary, Satwant Reddy, on the issue of data exclusivity for drugs and agro-chemicals.
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The June 19, 2007, talks between the G4 in Potsdam, Germany, may be the last opportunity for a breakthrough in the Doha round of WTO talks.
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The European Union should get a consensus on trade issues from its member
states before negotiations start at the end of the month on a proposed India-EU
comprehensive trade and investment agreement.
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According to a WTO report, the European Union (EU) initiated the most antidumping investigations in the period July-December 2006, double the number for the same period the previous year.
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Members of the G20, G33 and NAMA-11, meeting in Geneva, say they will not make any compromises on market access unless there are sizeable cuts in developed countries’ offer on subsidies.
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India and Russia will set up a joint taskforce to increase bilateral trade and work towards an economic cooperation agreement.
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According to a report by the Nepal Rastra Bank, Nepal has performed poorly in the first nine months of 2006-07 due to the deteriorating security situation and power crisis.
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To boost maritime trade, the three countries are planning to introduce a cargo vessel liner that will link the port cities of Chittagong, Yangon and Ranong.
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Muhammad Yunus, the pioneer of microcredit, says elimination of US duties on all products from Bangladesh and other Least Developed Countries (LDCs) would help enormously in reducing poverty.
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A committee set up by the Indian Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers has ruled that there is no need to change Indian regulations on data exclusivity in the pharmaceuticals sector.
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Indian shrimp exports to the United States have fallen by 30.77% as exporters challenge customs bonds and anti-dumping duties imposed by the US.
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India and China have reached a “consensus” on key areas such as goods and services, investment, etc, as part of a proposed regional trade agreement.
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EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson says the ongoing G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, is important for the Doha round of trade talks, but regretted that countries are hardening their positions rather than being flexible.
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Visiting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva emphasised India-Brazil cooperation in the WTO, and enhanced trade between the two countries.
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Leaders of the advanced countries meeting for the G8 summit in the German town of Heilingendamm will not find it easy to arrive at a consensus on the contentious issues of climate change and aid to poor countries.
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India has cancelled a tender to import 1 million tonnes of wheat on account of high international prices.
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The row over high tariffs imposed by India on imported wine and spirits has led to the US calling for a WTO disputes settlement body to be set up to investigate the taxes.
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Chairperson of the agriculture negotiations at the WTO, Ambassador Crawford Falconer released the second instalment of his ‘challenges’ paper covering areas such as SSM and Green Box subsidies.
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In a report to the WTO, India stresses the need to abolish the economic needs test imposed by developed countries, that, it says, hinders the movement of professionals from the services sector.
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The WTO Trade Policy Review for India says it is unclear whether Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will generate employment and has called for deeper structural reforms and investment in human capital to sustain high economic growth.
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“Determined measures” are needed to ensure that India complies with the commitments on labour standards it accepted at WTO Ministerial Declarations over 1996-2001, according to a report by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).
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The OECD summit in Paris and a meeting of G4 members in Brussels days later saw no breakthrough in the Doha round of trade talks although differences were said to be narrowing.
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India and Mexico signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement on May 21, 2007.
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Reacting to queries by a US Senate immigration sub-committee on utilisation of special HIB (work) visas by some Indian IT companies, India’s minister of commerce says that temporary movement of skilled professionals is an “essential component of the global services economy” and bears no relation to immigration issues.
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India has decided to oppose the ban declared by Russia on imports of Indian rice.
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The Indian government is considering simplifying export procedures for agricultural commodities in order to boost agricultural trade.
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Bilateral trade between India and China is all set to take off with both countries setting a target of US$ 40 billion by 2009.
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G4 nations are meeting in Brussels this week in a last-ditch effort to find a solution to barriers in global trade talks.
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The FAO says Nepal is facing chronic food shortages and needs help.
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Traders want wheat from Pakistan to come through the Wagah border. Government clearance could pave the way for more wheat exports from Pakistan.
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Bangladesh’s business leaders, who spoke recently at a meeting organised by the country’s Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), argued that duty-free access does not ensure the free flow of goods into Indian markets unless non-tariff and para-tariff barriers are removed.
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Environmental groups in India have voiced their concerns that a forthcoming India-Japan treaty would allow Japan to export old ships and toxic chemicals to India.
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India and Mauritius are expected to sign a Preferential Trading Agreement (PTA) as a first step towards a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement.
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Trade policy in Asia is “dangerously unbalanced” and rests on a “shaky leg of discriminatory bilateral and regional FTAs,” according to a recent policy brief released by the European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE).
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The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office has placed Thailand on a watch list of countries that have violated intellectual property rights.
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A major theme of the ILO’s ‘Equality at work: Tackling the challenges’ report, which provides a global picture of job-related discrimination, is the persistence of gender gaps in employment and pay.
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Five years after it was enacted, India’s Biodiversity Act 2002 remains ineffective and mired in controversy. Both local communities and civil society groups have found fault with its provisions.
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Ministers at the 13th ASEAN Economic Ministers Retreat expressed the need to accelerate ASEAN integration with the aim of becoming an integrated regional entity.
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Developing countries remain split over key issues at WTO agriculture talks.
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At a EU-ASEAN meeting, various joint programmes between the two blocs were discussed and priorities set for the immediate future.
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South Korea-EU conclude first round of free trade talks.
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In a joint statement, ministers of ASEAN countries meeting in Kyoto, Japan, expressed satisfaction at the growth of the regional economy and announced a new initiative to swap foreign exchange reserves to counter speculative moves on their currencies.
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In a move that will have wide implications in the health sector in developing countries, the government of Brazil has issued a ‘compulsory licence’ that will allow the import of cheap versions of a patented HIV/AIDS drug.
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Despite a bumper wheat crop India will import wheat this year as farmers are holding back stocks, while a glut in sugar production has led to calls for more incentives for sugar exporters.
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WTO Agriculture Committee Chairman Crawford Falconer’s draft paper on ways to cut subsidies and customs duties on farm commodities does not address the needs of developing countries, says India’s Minister for Commerce and Industry.
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A blueprint from WTO Agricultural Committee Chairman Crawford Falconer suggests ways to cut farm subsidies and customs duties and arrive at an agreement on agriculture.
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An American survey of 18 countries found that while respondents in most countries supported globalisation they also wanted better labour standards and stronger environmental protection.
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European foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg have given a green signal to free trade pacts that are expected to add more than 40 billion euros to Europe’s annual exports.
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In the absence of a negotiated settlement thus far in the row between the EU and India on the latter’s high liquor tariffs, a WTO dispute panel was created on April 24, 2007, to hear the matter.
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India’s commerce minister says there will be very few points of disagreement in the proposed India-EU free trade agreement, a draft of which was released by the EU Commission in December 2006.
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The annual World Development Indicators report of the World Bank says that world poverty has declined, but acknowledges that the gap between rich and poor has widened in some countries, particularly in East Asia.
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The two countries held ministerial-level talks in Tokyo to discuss ways in which Japan can help India reduce energy consumption.
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The meeting in Lahore of 19 leading farm-exporting countries -- the Cairns Group -- warned against delaying the Doha Round into 2008.
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The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) 2007 survey says that the region accounted for one-third of global economic growth in 2006 and will continue to do well in 2007, led by China, India and Japan.
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The European Union’s new trade policy focuses on greater efforts to dismantle ‘hidden’ non-tariff barriers, particularly in markets such as India and China.
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An informal paper put out by Pakistan on the controversial subject of special products has been criticised for going against the interests of developing countries.
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The two-day South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) roundtable in Murree, Pakistan, made all the same noises about removal of trade barriers and ease in travel between SAARC countries.
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The World Trade Organisation reports that all countries, including least developed countries in Asia, registered strong trade growth in 2006.
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More than half the US Senate has written to President George Bush warning him against making any cuts to domestic support in the ongoing Doha Round.
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During US Trade Representative Susan Schwab’s visit to India, a Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG) of US and Indian international business and trade experts was formed to provide strategic recommendations and insights.
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Closer regional integration in South Asia can be an effective tool for addressing energy shortages, improving connectivity, and promoting peace, argues a report prepared recently by the World Bank.
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India’s commerce minister has said that the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and Japan is likely to be concluded within the next year.
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A meeting of G6 trade ministers in New Delhi could only agree on a year-end timeframe for conclusion of the Doha round of WTO talks.
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Trade ministers from the US, EU, India and Brazil will meet in New Delhi on April 11-12, 2007, to make another attempt at achieving a breakthrough in WTO negotiations.
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A significant outcome of the two-day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in New Delhi was the declaration that trade in services would be included in the South Asia Free Trade Association (SAFTA) agreement.
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The 14th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit opened in New Delhi with leaders expressing a desire to move the regional grouping onto a higher trajectory.
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The 14th SAARC summit will be held in New Delhi on April 3-4, 2007. The regional body has made little progress since its formation in 1985, largely because of tensions between India and Pakistan. It is expected to deliver more this time round.
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Farmers from a number of countries have gathered in Munich to protest the decision of the Munich-based European Patent Office to grant patents for seeds developed through conventional breeding processes.
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The trade policy presented by the Democrats, who control the US Congress, contains new provisions with regard to labour and environment laws that they want incorporated in free trade agreements.
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At a meeting held in Jakarta, the G33 group of countries, which includes small economies and least developed countries, called for WTO discussions to be more inclusive and transparent.
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WTO Director General Pascal Lamy called on India to allow greater market access for agricultural products as a way of moving trade talks forward.
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The Indian government will provide an export subsidy of Rs 1,350-Rs 1,450 for sugar in order to shore up falling domestic prices in the wake of bumper production.
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Professionals from Sri Lanka and India will find it easier to work in each others’ countries once a new services agreement is signed between the two countries.
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The Indian government may announce a package of measures that would lower duties for its LDC neighbours, at the SAARC summit in New Delhi in April.
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The rush to sign Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will have disastrous consequences for the poor in developing countries, warns a new report by Oxfam.
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The Swiss pharma company, which is legally contesting a provision in the Indian patents law, is trying to dissuade European Union legislators from signing a declaration opposing its actions.
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Speakers at an international seminar in Delhi said big developing countries such as India have not yet allowed duty-free quota-free access to least developed countries as they were asked to do in the Hong Kong Declaration, in 2005.
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Legislation that would give universities and research organisations ownership and patent rights over state-funded research is one of the recommendations of the high-level advisory body.
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Civil society organisations want toxic waste and other banned substances to be excluded from the list of goods seeking preferential tariffs under the trade pact being negotiated by Japan and India.
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The Sri Lankan government’s ban on young mothers working abroad as housemaids has raised a number of questions about rules regarding the movement of people across borders.
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The leader of a Canadian trade delegation said, in a speech in New Delhi, that Canada would like India to consider a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) should WTO talks break down.
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The bilateral agreement is aimed at enhancing investment and technology flows between the two countries.
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With complaints pending against it in the WTO, India’s commerce minister has said that India would negotiate with the EU on lowering its duty on imported wines and spirits.
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India and the European Union (EU) have set up an investment facilitation desk to help inbound investment and partnerships between small and medium enterprises from EU and Indian companies.
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Health activists hope that a new non-patented anti-malaria drug produced in a unique private-public partnership will prove to be a model for other such initiatives.
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Bangladesh’s apparel exporters want more liberal sourcing of raw material for the 6 million pieces of apparel the country can export to India at preferential rates under SAFTA.
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Meetings between the major agricultural trading nations in London yielded little of any value. The US trade representative said in a television interview that India was “less inclined to be a proactive contributor”.
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Pakistan is trying hard to convince the European Union that a bilateral agreement would greatly help reduce poverty and contain terrorism in Pakistan.
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India and Australia have agreed to set up a mechanism to resolve issues coming in the way of trade in agricultural goods.
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The crucial Indo-Nepal trade treaty, due to expire on March 5, 2007, was renewed for another five years without any amendments.
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India’s protectionist measures with regard to vanaspati, pepper and copper caused exports from Sri Lanka to fall from Rs 56.2 billion in 2005 to Rs 50.8 billion in 2006.
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Fulfilling an obligation under the TRIPS Agreement, India has started registering plant varieties under the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers’ Rights Act, 2001.
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The report on patent law, recently submitted by the Mashelkar Committee, has passed off a submission made to the committee as its own recommendation.
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The European Union’s commissioner for external relations said that countries must give up their entrenched positions and make compromises in agriculture and industrial tariffs.
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Malaysia’s attorney-general told the Committee on the Rights of the Child that his country would not restrict generic drugs, and specified that bilateral free trade agreements were TRIPS-plus.
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Business leaders at the SAARC Business Leaders Conclave in Mumbai debated ways of enhancing trade in the region to reach $ 20 billion by 2010.
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The agriculture negotiating committee of the WTO met to take stock of the current state of affairs and to plan future meetings.
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The Washington-based International Monetary Fund has closed its office in Sri Lanka after warning that high budget deficits and long-standing ethnic conflict were undermining the country’s economy.
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Reforms in the US Farm Bill that will cut trade-distorting subsidies has been a long-standing demand of the EU and other countries.
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With the Democrats controlling Congress, renewal of the US President’s Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that expires in June hangs in the balance.
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At a meeting to map out a strategy before the February 26, 2007, SAFTA Ministerial Council meeting, Bangladesh’s private sector sounded cautious about privatisation.
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India will spend Rs 119 crore to build up trade infrastructure in Nepal, with work at four border points already started.
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Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy, reported to the General Council of the WTO that the multilateral trade talks suspended in July 2006 have been fully resumed.
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Proposed reforms in the US Farm Bill have been welcomed as a first step towards ending the impasse over subsidies in the Doha Round of negotiations.
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India and Japan set up four working groups in February 2007, in a move towards formulating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
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The European Union will spend 200 million euros for developmental activities in Pakistan’s poor northern areas.
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India’s commerce minister says there would be very few points of disagreement in the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a draft of which was released by the European Commission in December 2006.
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India has revised its GDP growth figures for 2005-06 from 8.4% to 9% largely due to better-than-expected farm production.
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Leaders meeting for the World Economic Forum in Davos said they were keen to restart stalled World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks, but there was little indication that anyone was willing to grasp the nettle of hard numbers.
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The pharmaceutical company Novartis is being urged to withdraw its case against a provision in the Indian patent law that makes medicines affordable for the poor.
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A paper by the Trade, Equity, and Development Project of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that to break the deadlock in the Doha round of talks at the WTO the United States must realise that its position helps neither itself nor developing countries.
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As a first step towards a free trade agreement, Pakistan and Thailand will lift customs duties on selected fruits.
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With bilateral trade standing at US$ 50 million, trade ministers of Sri Lanka and Kuwait, meeting in Colombo, decided there was potential to boost trade between the two countries.
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Speaking in Bangalore, India, on January 18, 2007, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said that the emerging new world order required changes in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
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Speaking in Bangalore on January 17, WTO director general Pascal Lamy said he was counting on the support of Indian business community and think tanks to “maintain focus on the multilateral trading system and the Doha round negotiations”.
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Around 30 trade ministers will meet in the Swiss ski resort of Davos on January 27 to discuss how to revive the stalled Doha Round talks, the Swiss government announced on January 16.
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An important outcome of the 2007 ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) summit held in Cebu, Philippines, is a plan for a free trade zone stretching from India to New Zealand encompassing Asia’s largest economies.
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Indian PM Manmohan Singh told an ASEAN meeting in Cebu, Philippines, that his country was keen to engage with others in the region to their mutual benefit.
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Bahrain and Pakistan have agreed to expedite negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which could be signed before the end of 2007.
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Recommendations made by a committee constituted by the Government of India on limiting drug patents have been questioned by public interest groups concerned about availability of cheap drugs in the country.
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Viet Nam joined the WTO on January 11, 2007, taking the organisation’s membership to 150.
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India, the world’s second-biggest sugar producer, announced on January 12, 2007, that it would lift a six-month ban on export of the commodity.
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ASEAN trade ministers have accepted India’s pruned negative list, paving the way for a free trade agreement by the middle of 2007.
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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told a meeting of Indian business leaders in New Delhi on January 8, 2006, that they must prepare for a regime of lower tariffs to integrate with the global economy and promised a more liberal but equitable tax regime.
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Nepal’s trade deficit widened in the July-November 2006 period because of higher growth in imports, according to the country’s central bank.
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EU and US trade negotiators meeting in Washington have been sounding optimistic about sorting out their differences on agriculture tariffs and subsidies, raising hopes that the stalled Doha Round of trade talks may resume.
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EU and US trade negotiators meeting in Washington have been sounding optimistic about sorting out their differences on agriculture tariffs and subsidies, raising hopes that the stalled Doha Round of trade talks may resume.
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Greater availability of sugar in the domestic markets has prompted the Indian government to partially lift the ban on sugar it imposed in July 2006.
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India and the United States have set up the Bilateral Working Group on Legal Services to facilitate trade in legal services between the two countries.
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Oxfam and other campaigners for fair trade urge developed countries to emulate Brazil’s proposal of duty-free access to Least Developed Countries (LDCs). They are also critical of pressures being put on developing countries to open market access without reciprocal cuts in rich countries’ subsidies.
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India cuts duties on refined oils from Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to 52.5% from 68.75% under the regional free trade agreement.
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WTO Director General Pascal Lamy told the General Council of the WTO that if concrete new proposals on the more contentious issues came out of the ongoing informal talks, a successful conclusion of the Doha Round was still within reach.
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Countries such as the EU, US and Japan feel China must do more to meet its WTO obligations.
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To further good relations between the two countries, Pakistan’s deputy foreign minister has proposed signing an early harvest programme with Myanmar, leading to a free trade agreement later on.
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To further good relations between the two countries, Pakistan’s deputy foreign minister has proposed signing an early harvest programme with Myanmar, leading to a free trade agreement later on.
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In a case keenly watched by other countries, Thailand’s issuance of a compulsory licence for the AIDS drug Efavirenz has prompted the patent-holder to offer a reduction in the price of the drug.
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Keen to make a breakthrough in the free trade agreement it is negotiating with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) before the summit in January 2007, India has offered to further cut its negative list of items to 490.
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This may well be the “last opportunity” to put the development dimension centrestage at the WTO negotiations, said Gopal K Pillai, Commerce Secretary, Government of India, while addressing the second South Asian Conference on Trade and Development, titled ‘Multilateralism at Cross-roads: Reaffirming Development Priorities’, organised by Centad in New Delhi on December 19-20, 2006.
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International medical humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has launched a global campaign to build pressure on the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis to abandon its attempts to force changes in India’s patent law
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India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has come down heavily on the agricultural subsidies paid by rich countries, which, he said, distort trade and destroy lives in poor countries.
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The new transparency mechanism for Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) provides for early announcement of any RTA, and notification to the WTO.
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The World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects Report says developing countries will spearhead global economic growth, but warns that ignoring global environmental issues and unequal development within national boundaries could dampen growth prospects.
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On November 29, 2006, the government of Thailand issued a compulsory licence for the patented AIDS drug, efavirenz, in a bid to bring down spiralling costs.
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India and Israel started negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) during the Israeli deputy prime minister’s visit to India with a 35-member business delegation.
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In an interview to an English newspaper, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy urged countries to take advantage of the small ‘window of opportunity’ between now and the expiration of the trade promotion authority of the US administration, in June 2007.
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Negotiations for a proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Japan and India got a boost with Japan agreeing to include agriculture in the agreement
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A team from the European Commission is testing basmati rice from Pakistan, India and Nepal to establish the quality of the rice, which will determine its import policy.
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India’s commerce minister told a visiting French business delegation that the issue of high import duties levied by India on wines and spirits from the EU could be sorted out through negotiations.
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A report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) says trade barriers between India and Pakistan are hampering the growth of trade.
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The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has doubled its negative list for the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India due to be finalised next month.
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There is fierce resistance in South Korea from farmers, labour, and civil society groups against a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) being negotiated with the United States.
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The dispute settlement body of the WTO set up a panel on November 21, 2006, to examine India’s claim that the US’s amended bond directive violates WTO rules.
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US Deputy Trade Representative Karan Bhatia ruled out a free trade agreement between India and the US, but said market access and other issues between the two countries could be addressed bilaterally.
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The All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) has urged the government not to allow any field trials or commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) rice in the country.
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India has initiated the most number of antidumping investigations under the disputes settlement body of the WTO, in the period January 1-June 30, 2006, according to figures recently released by the WTO.
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Pakistan and China signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on November 24, 2006, that is expected to increase bilateral trade between the two countries to US$ 15 billion within five years.
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Australia is expanding its suite of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). And that includes one with India, says Australian trade minister Warren Truss.
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Secretary in the US Department of Agriculture, Michael Johannes, and India’s agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said they were satisfied with the progress of the Indo-US Agriculture Knowledge Initiative.
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Though member countries have made no specific new concessions, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy told trade diplomats in Geneva to begin informal talks on all issues in the Doha Round of talks.
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China and India have signed a Bilateral Investment Promotion Agreement (BIPA) and pledged to double bilateral trade within the next four years.
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Citing India’s high customs duties on alcohol as a trade barrier, the EU has taken the matter up for consultations at the WTO.
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Addressing the G20 meeting in Melbourne on November 18, 2006, Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram urged developed countries to look at “well-managed migration” of people from developing countries as a “positive contribution to employment and global economic growth”.
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A Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Pakistan and a trade protection agreement with India are on the cards during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s impending visit to both countries.
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A recent World Bank report says trade between Africa and Asian giants India and China has increased substantially and includes non-traditional sectors.
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Darjeeling tea, Orissa ikkat and Mysore sandal soap are among 28 Indian products that have been registered with the geographical indications (GI) registry in Chennai.
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The Indian government has managed to convince Sri Lanka to cap its exports of vegetable oil at 250,000 tonnes.
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With the Democrats capturing the US House of Representatives in the recent mid-term elections, the future course of American trade policy and its impact on global trade talks is a major topic of discussion.
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On November 7, 2006, the WTO’s General Council approved Vietnam’s entry into the WTO after 11 years of preparation and negotiation.
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Ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to India on November 20, 2006, China’s assistant commerce minister says his country is thinking about entering into a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India.
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Shortage of wheat in the international market is expected to send prices soaring and will make it difficult for India to continue importing wheat.
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The WTO Agricultural Committee has pulled up member states for not furnishing the required information on domestic support, export subsidies, etc.
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The Indian cabinet has approved a revised shipping protocol that will bolster sea trade with Pakistan.
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With factories and the main port in Bangladesh closed for several days due to the violent political situation, the country’s garment exports, which constitute three-fourths of its total exports, is badly hit.
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India is battling the United States over shrimp exports on grounds that the restrictions are arbitrary and discriminatory, thereby violating the antidumping agreement.
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New measures adopted with regard to sulphur dioxide residues in cinnamon exports from Sri Lanka into the European Union have been amicably resolved, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures Committee of the WTO was told.
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WTO Director General Pascal Lamy has warned that it is poor countries that will lose out if they opt for bilateral deals instead of working to revitalise the multilateral trade talks.
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India and the European Union have agreed to start negotiations on talks that will eliminate tariffs on most products.
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The Bangladesh government is looking to see how best it can utilise the aid-for-trade package that least developed countries have been awarded by the World Trade Organisation.
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The WTO dispute panel ruling that the European Union’s approval process for genetically-modified food was in contravention of the SPS Agreement has been sharply criticised by civil society groups.
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The trade row between India and Sri Lanka intensifies, with India putting further restrictions on the import of duty-free pepper from the island.
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India’s commerce minister said robust growth in India’s manufacturing sector has led to a 12.4% growth in industrial production.
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Pakistan’s decision to add 302 items to its positive list for trade with India is being seen by India as a ploy to deny it MFN status. It also violates the SAFTA pact, says India.
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India has become the second largest producer of cotton after China, beating the United States. Together with Pakistan -- the fourth largest cotton producer -- the three Asian countries will produce more than half the world’s cotton in 2006-07.
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Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign has criticised the European Union’s proposed new trade plans for imposing anti-development conditions on poor countries.
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According to a bulletin put out by India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India, the share of agricultural exports in India’s total exports declined from 19% in 1995-96 to 10% in 2005-06.
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The general assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) meeting that took place between September 25 and October 3, 2006, has agreed to continue discussions on the 111 proposals submitted so far.
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Lamy was in India as part of a whistlestop tour of key member countries to push deadlocked trade talks forward.
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The Cairns Group of 18 major exporting countries meeting in Australia on September 20-22, 2006, said deep policy reforms in market access and domestic support were essential for a successful conclusion to the Doha Round.
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The Committee for Protection of Undisclosed Information, set up by the Indian government to determine data protection issues, is finalising its recommendations. Some of them are already proving controversial.
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The military coup in Thailand that took place on September 19, 2006, has put a temporary dampener on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that India and Thailand are in the process of renegotiating.
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In the US, a bill to extend the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) that allows duty-free access to goods from developing countries, could exclude significant industries from major developing countries.
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India is collecting data on whether NTBs in BIMSTEC countries are an obstacle to the projected 74% jump in its exports.
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In his address to the WTO Public Forum, on September 25, 2006, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said it was up to WTO members to shape the future of the organisation.
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Under the bilateral agreement with India, Sri Lanka has cut tariffs on major imports from India.
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An inter-governmental health initiative utilises a levy on airplane tickets to purchase essential drugs, using flexibilities in the TRIPS agreement.
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While quotas on the export of vanaspati oil from Sri Lanka to India have been worked out, the modalities have yet to be approved.
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India’s finance minister urges western countries to revive the WTO talks, saying that aid-for-trade packages, while important, could not deliver the same benefits to developing countries.
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a proposal to raise the voting shares of four developing countries. But critics are questioning the whole system of voting shares and quotas.
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Asian exports to Africa are growing at 18% per year, faster than to any other region in the world, says a new World Bank study.
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A study of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) attributes political tensions and mistrust for a significant decline in India’s trade with SAARC bloc countries in 2003-2006.
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Bilateral trade between India and Sri Lanka touched US$ 2 billion in 2005 and is likely to increase to US$ 3 billion in 2007.
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Strong economic growth has created an unprecedented opportunity for ending poverty in a generation, in South Asia, according to a World Bank report.
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India has targeted growth in the manufacturing sector at 33% of GDP, the industries minister told the Indo-US Economic Summit in New Delhi on September 14, 2006.
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The US is the only country that has not signed a bilateral agreement with Russia to enable it to enter the WTO, and Russia now says it is fed up of waiting.
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Agreements on boosting cooperation in politics, economy, trade and technology were signed at the first summit of the India, Brazil and South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) on September 13, 2006.
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The Supreme Court of India has held that the computation of non-injurious price under the country’s antidumping law must apply for an industry segment as a whole and not to only particular companies or enterprises.
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There was no agreement on a date for resuming WTO talks, nor any change in entrenched positions at a September 10, 2006, meet of major developing and developed countries.
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A new FAO report calls for a boost in aquaculture as the numbers of fish caught in the wild level off.
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If the currently stalled US-Thai Free Trade Agreement (FTA) goes ahead, it could put the interests of companies above those of the Thai people, says Oxfam.
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The Trade and Development Report 2006 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) says trade rules must respect the specific situation of each country.
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A new Oxfam report calls on poor countries to expand public sector services such as health, education, drinking water and sanitation, and for rich countries to support this move.
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A trade pact between India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) is expected to be signed during the Indian prime minister’s visit to Brazil on September 13-14, 2006.
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The Indian prime minister will propose a free trade agreement with the European Union in October 2006, India’s Commerce Minister Kamal Nath told a German newspaper.
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The Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement between ASEAN and the US, signed on August 25, 2006, is being seen as the precursor to a free trade agreement.
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India and ASEAN made some headway in moving their stalled free trade agreement forward, at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on August 24, 2006.
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ASEAN trade ministers meeting in Kuala Lumpur to discuss a common economic market and other issues also called for WTO talks to resume before the end of 2006.
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A US fisheries body is lobbying the US Food and Drugs Administration to impose stricter quality control measures on shrimps from some Asian countries, including India.
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Secretary-level trade talks between India and Nepal, held after two years, included various issues related to investment, trade-promotion and infrastructure.
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Two hundred containers of vanaspati oil and 2,000 metric tonnes of finished products from Sri Lanka remain unsold in Indian ports and factories after India capped duty-free imports of the oil.
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ASEAN ministers meeting in Malaysia this week to discuss a single market will also consider India’s new offer of tariff cuts.
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Reports suggest that the Indo-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is unlikely to be finalised this year due to political uncertainty in Thailand and the stalled India-ASEAN FTA.
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The Indian ministries of commerce and agriculture are unable to agree on duty cuts for sensitive items that ASEAN insists upon.
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India’s commerce minister Kamal Nath assured the country’s upper house of Parliament on August 2, 2006, that the interests of Indian farmers would not be compromised in any Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with ASEAN.
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The SAARC foreign ministers meet in Dhaka has referred India’s complaint that Pakistan was not dealing fairly with it under SAFTA, to the SAARC council of ministers.
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International agencies like Oxfam warn that rich countries may be taken to the WTO Dispute Settlement Body over their high farm subsidies.
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Trade ministers are making encouraging noises about restarting the Doha Round of negotiations but tentative dates vary from November 2006 to 2010.
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The European Union says India is violating WTO rules by imposing high duties on imported whisky and wine.
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The new agreement allows more entry and exit points for Bhutan’s goods into India and simplifies import-export procedures between the two countries.
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Foreign ministers of the seven BIMSTEC countries meeting in Delhi in August 2006 agreed on an early deadline for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
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The US administration is seeking a review of the programme that allowed duty-free access to goods from some developing countries.
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Pakistan’s commerce minister was in Washington during the first week of August 2006 to push for a free trade deal with the US that, he said, would create jobs and prosperity in his country.
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The two countries have signed a trade agreement that will enhance exports and be of mutual benefit.
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India has called for an urgent meeting of the SAFTA Ministerial Council to discuss Pakistan’s restrictive import policy which, it says, violates SAFTA.
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The international agency Oxfam says poor countries will be the victims of the failure of rich countries to end their trade-distorting subsidies in the failed WTO talks.
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With WTO talks suspended, India’s bilateral agreements with ASEAN, South Korea and the European Union are moving ahead.
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A last-ditch attempt to resolve the deadlock in the Doha Round of WTO talks has ended in failure.
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Bangladesh and Iran have agreed to sign a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) that could later lead to the signing of a Free Trade Agreement.
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Trade ministers of the G5 are meeting again over two weekends to try and reach a compromise on trade talks.
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WTO Director General Pascal Lamy told G8 leaders in St Petersburg on July 17, 2006 that they must give their ministers more negotiating space if the Doha round was to be successful.
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According to media reports, India may be willing to accept a Swiss coefficient of 20 which would mean a duty cut of 60% on industrial goods.
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The WTO and Other Trade Agreements committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is working on a set of guidelines for free trade agreements
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To stabilise rising prices, the Indian government has added pulses to its list of food imports this year.
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In a rare instance of consensus, WTO members have agreed to put in place a provisional transparency mechanism for regional trade agreements (RTAs).
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A UK based study on the contribution of NGOs to intellectual property rights issues says they are useful to developing countries, but require more coordination.
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World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz has sent a letter to each of the leaders of the G8 and the five developing countries –India, Brazil, South Africa, China and Mexico – urging them to reach agreement on the Doha round of trade talks when they meet in St Petersburg on July 17, 2006 for the G8 summit.
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India’s restrictions on import of vanaspati oil from Sri Lanka continues to be a bone of contention between the two countries
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Accusations of bias have derailed talks at the World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPO).
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The 2006 UNDP Asia Pacific Human Development report says agriculture has stagnated in the Asia-Pacific region and it has become a net agricultural importer, imperiling food security.
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A new report by the World Bank says that strong growth in South Asia may be jeopardised by growing disparities in incomes and opportunities.
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Several NGOs and others have written to the Indian Prime Minister to resist moves to amend the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to include data exclusivity.
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Ahead of a high level WTO meeting of trade ministers on June 28-July 2, 2006 in Geneva, the agriculture and NAMA chairs have submitted draft texts of negotiations to WTO Director General Pascal Lamy. The texts contain nothing new and simply “reflects the reality of where we are” said the agriculture chair Crawford Falconer.
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As the June-end deadline for a draft deal on farm and industrial goods in WTO negotiations draws near, the key issues of farm subsidies and tariffs remain unresolved.
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India has decided to bring down duty on 4,200 items from Bangladesh to zero percent in three years.
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The proposed free trade agreement between India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has run into a major stumbling block over India’s negative list.
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A special session of the United Nations on May 28-June 2, 2006 reaffirmed the right of countries to use the flexibilities in the WTO’s TRIPS agreement to protect public health.
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On May 31, 2006, developing countries led by India proposed an amendment in the TRIPS to make disclosure of use of traditional knowledge mandatory in patent applications.
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The Indian government is contemplating an amendment to the Drugs and Cosmetics Act to allow data exclusivity measures, a move that is strongly opposed by health activists.
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The controversy over export of cheap vanaspati oil by Sri Lanka to India has intensified with India announcing new restrictions.
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Nepal’s readymade garment exports registered a 33% increase in May 2006, but overall figures are still gloomy.
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Pakistan is in favour of a free trade agreement with ASEAN to enhance bilateral trade and economic ties in the region.
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The re-opening of the Nathu La pass on the India-China border after 44 years is expected to increase trade between the two countries.
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The trade task forces set up by the two countries which met in Dhaka recently recommended six areas of cooperation plus a rail link between Dhaka and Kolkata to facilitate container cargo.
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At the mini-ministerial held in Davos, Switzerland, on January 27-28, 2006, WTO member countries agreed on a timetable for completion of the Doha Round.
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A May 27, 2006 resolution of the main governing body of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been hailed as a historic opportunity to promote R&D driven by needs rather than just profits in the global pharmaceutical industry.
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The Indian finance minister has expressed concerns over the revenue loss that will accrue if India enters into an FTA with ASEAN.
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In May 2006 India made it easier for more countries to export wheat to the country by relaxing acceptable limits for pesticides and other norms.
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Despite a May 2006 World Bank report urging Pakistan to give India MFN status, the Pakistan government has adopted a cautious approach.
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Speakers at a seminar held in Dhaka on May 15, 2006 said that a South Asia trade summit would help consolidate the position of countries of this region in WTO negotiations.
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Continuous talks in non agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations have not yielded much, admitted NAMA Chair Don Stephenson on May 10, 2006.
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Some G-33 countries have taken issue with Agriculture Chair Crawford Falconer’s May 4, 2006 unfavourable assessment of market access flexibilities.
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Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ‘Look East’ policy envisages an expanded pan-Asian free trade area
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The US proposal on SSM will limit the scope of the safeguard and is contradictory to proposals suggested by developing countries.
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Sharp differences between member countries on agriculture and NAMA persist, leading to cancellation of the April 30, 2006 deadline for completing modalities.
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WTO negotiators of developing countries negotiators are misaligned from the poor, exclude sub-national actors and lack cohesion within South Asia. This was the consensus among over a hundred leading South Asian trade experts and representatives of policy think tanks and civil society organizations who participated in the Regional Consultation on ‘WTO and South Asia: Strategising beyond Hong Kong’ organised by Centad and the Asia Pacific Trade and Investment Initiative of UNDP-Colombo in New Delhi on April 20-21, 2006.
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At a meeting in Dhaka on April 21, 2006, commerce ministers of India and Bangladesh resolved to tackle non-tariff barriers. However, transit rights for Indian goods through Bangladesh remains a contentious issue.
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Under the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) that will be implemented in July 2006, Pakistan must extend most favoured nation (MFN) status to India, something it has steadfastly refused to do hitherto.
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Five fatal disasters at garment factories in Bangladesh have raised serious concerns globally about employee safety.
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While world trade grew at 6% in 2005, WTO economists say growth in 2006 could be complicated by many factors.
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The Edinburgh-based association claims that India’s duty system for imported whisky is discriminatory.
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A commission set up to study how these three elements can work together to ensure better healthcare in poorer countries has made its recommendations.
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WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy has been asked by its trade negotiating committee to play a more active role in moving the crisis-laden trade talks along.
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Indo-Pakistan trade is poised for a major expansion with the announcement that Pakistan will trade with India under SAFTA.
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Bangladesh’s already large trade gap with India grew further, by 13.23%, in the fiscal year starting July 1, 2005.
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Indian textile exports grew at a clipping 24.85% in 2005, according to new figures released by the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics.
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Much was expected from the meeting of G6 ministers in London on March 10-11, 2006, but India’s Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said after the meeting that there was “no formula yet on the cards, only hope”.
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The surge in vanaspati imports from Sri Lanka has hurt India’s domestic industry. This may prompt the government to consider invoking unilateral safeguard measures.
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The bilateral trade agreement between India and Bangladesh is likely to be renewed during Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s visit to India, beginning March 20, 2006.
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Countries came no closer to a solution on agriculture and NAMA at the WTO mini ministerial in Geneva on June 29-July 2, 2006.
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Trade ministers from the G6 will meet in London on March 10-11, 2006, to discuss initiatives that could break the deadlock in the Doha Round talks.
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The removal of quotas has not boosted growth in Indian textile exports to the extent that it should have, says the latest Economic Survey.
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To enlarge the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (FTA), India must be more accommodating to the needs of its smaller partner, says Sri Lanka’s commerce minister.
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Bidriware, Channapatna dolls and the Coorg orange are among items that have obtained GI certification required under the TRIPS regime.
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The WTO disputes panel’s interim ruling on the entry of GM foods into European markets has implications for other countries grappling with the issue of GM foods.
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A proposed amendment to the Indian Contract Labour Act will make it easier to hire and fire workers in certain sectors.
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On February 8, 2006, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy announced the composition of a taskforce that will make operational the provisions on aid-for-trade set out in the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.
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The issue of ‘data exclusivity’ in the TRIPS Agreement is being hotly debated among various departments of the government.
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The South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement is operational from July 1, 2006 but Pakistan has not announced policy changes in trade with India
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Trade ministers meeting during the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 27-28, 2006, agreed to move forward on all issues simultaneously and committed to a deadline of April 30, 2006, for conclusion of the Doha Round of trade talks.
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A Canadian proposal for amendments to the anti-dumping agreement was discussed at the first meeting of WTO members after the Hong Kong Ministerial.
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Experts in the field of trade in agriculture are concerned over the Government of India’s July 22, 2006 decision allowing the import of wheat and sugar by private parties.
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In a case before the Indian courts, the Indian government is accused of
doing nothing to prevent the multinational Monsanto from trying for a
European patent for an Indian wheat variety.
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SAARC countries embark on a new phase in trade liberalisation, with SAFTA coming into force on January 1, 2006.
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The recent WTO Hong Kong Ministerial offered little direction to the floundering Doha Work Programme. many of the big questions remain unanswered and critical decisions by developed countries deferred until early 2006.
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India’s Commerce Minister Kamal Nath is satisfied that the Declaration of the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference fully meets India’s concerns.
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For the first time at a WTO summit, a ministerial meeting was held in Hong Kong among various developing country and less developed country groups to strengthen their bargaining power.
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A summing up of the negotiations after four days of talks at the Sixth WTO ministerial in Hong Kong.
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At the sixth WTO ministerial in Hong Kong developing countries led by India and South Africa formed a ‘core group’ to make NAMA negotiations more equitable.
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Addressing the plenary session of the sixth WTO ministerial in Hong Kong, India’s Commerce Minister Kamal Nath sought adequate safeguards to protect the livelihood of poor farmers in developing countries.
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At the ASEAN Business Advisory Council’s special leaders’ dialogue in Kuala Lumpur on December 12, 2005, India’s prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, urged ASEAN business leaders to consider the benefits of a pan-Asian free trade area.
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European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told trade ministers in Washington on December 9, 2005, that the concentration on agriculture issues by developing countries is hampering movement in the Doha round.
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The draft report by the Chair of the agriculture negotiations at the WTO shows convergence on some points and little agreement on others.
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Ministers of five countries, including India, say the Hong Kong Ministerial could provide a “road map” for completion of the Doha Round, and that the “full modalities” would have to be worked out at a high-level summit in early 2006.
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At a meeting of global non-governmental organisations (NGOs), held in November 2005 in Neemrana, India, representatives said new approaches such as benchmarking and qualitative and quantitative indicators should be rejected.
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Inaugurating the FICCI-Centad seminar in Hyderabad on November 15, 2005, India’s chief negotiator at the WTO, G K Pillai, said any deal in Hong Kong would fully protect the interests of farmers.
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The recently concluded SAARC summit in Dhaka failed to reach agreement on the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA).
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India and the US signed a private-public partnership agreement on November 12 that opens the public Indian agricultural research sector to private US companies.
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The appointment by the Indian Cabinet of a Registrar General for the authority set up under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act sets the stage for its implementation.
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A report on the South Asia Conference on Trade and Development,
organised by Centad in New Delhi on October 27-28, 2005.
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In a report to heads of delegations, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy said differences between member countries were too great to be completely eliminated before the Hong Kong Ministerial.
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As negotiations pick up prior to the Hong Kong Ministerial next month, it seems likely that compromises will have to be made.
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The International Civil Society Forum met in Dhaka in October 2005 to articulate the needs of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in WTO negotiations. It accused developed countries of not delivering on earlier promises and of shelving issues crucial to LDCs. The Dhaka Declaration adopted by the Forum puts forward the negotiating position of LDCs.
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The US and EU have put forward new proposals for cutting their high domestic support and export subsidies. So has the G20.
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India has made specific commitments in a number of new sectors and sub-sectors, and further commitments in existing sectors, in its revised conditional offer on Trade in Services.
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The World Trade Report (WTR) 2005 produced by the World Trade Organisation (WTO)
pegs growth in the world economy at 4% in 2004, the strongest annual growth rate in over a decade.
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An India-US pact on agriculture was negotiated when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the United States in July.
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G20 countries, which include India, China and Brazil, took a tough stand on farm subsidies at the Ministerial Meeting in Bhurban, Pakistan, on September 10. In the run-up to the crucial WTO Hong Kong Ministerial in December, the G20 bloc of nations told developed countries to come up with a concrete plan for the elimination of farm subsidies or face the consequences.
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Pascal Lamy, the new Director General of the World Trade Organisation, has named the four people he has chosen to be his Deputy Directors General. They are: Alejandro Jara of Chile, Valentine Rugwabiza of Rwanda, Harsha Singh of India and Rufus Yerxa of the United States. They assume office on October 1, 2005, while Lamy takes over on September 1, 2005.
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Outgoing WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi has struck a cautiously optimistic note on the ongoing trade negotiations in the run-up to the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December 2005.
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Human Development Report 2005 says the rules of international trade have not addressed issues critical for human development in many parts of the world.
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India’s approach in the ongoing WTO talks is a mixture of caution and aggression, says Gopal Pillai, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and the country’s chief negotiator at the WTO talks.
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Economic journalists in South Asia have constituted the South Asian Centre of Economic Journalists to identify South Asian trade issues and address various aspects of the World Trade Organisation, which were discussed at a training workshop in Pokhara, Nepal.
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The first draft of the ministerial text for the WTO summit in Hong Kong, presented by WTO Director General Pascal Lamy on November 26, 2005, contained no surprises
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