The Russian deputy prime minister, Sergei Ivanov, speaking in Washington after talks with U.S officials said that Russia will join the World Trade Organization WTO, in the summer or autumn of this year.

AN Asia-led resources boom had helped Australia dodge recession but its reliance on mining exports and a rallying currency posed a "major economic challenge", trade officials warned.  

(Reuters) - The United States and Colombia moved closer to approval of a long-delayed free trade pact on Wednesday with a plan to address worries over labor rights and anti-union violence in the Andean nation. U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told reporters Colombia promised to beef up protection for labor leaders and organizers who have been the target of violence by right-wing groups.

LIMA, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Peru and Mexico Wednesday signed a free trade agreement aimed at providing tax benefits to boost bilateral trade. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Peruvian President Alan Garcia praised the deal as "a preliminary step toward a larger agreement," referring to the intention of including Chile and Colombia in the deal. "It will be a profound integration of four countries in the area of goods, services, products and people in order to grow together towards Asia and the world," Garcia said.

NEW DELHI: India today said it will withdraw its case from the WTO against EU on wrongful seizure of drug consignments of Indian companies, only when all the members of the 27-nation bloc amend their rules to prevent recurrence of such incidents.  While the European Union (EU) had accepted India's stand that the seizure of generic drugs was wrong, its member countries need to amend their rules on the issue. 

The massive quake that hit Japan last month would also deal a blow to U.S. trade with Japan, the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) said on Monday. The Port of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is expected to witness major declines in trade between the two countries later this month, the LAEDC told a pair of City Council committees. Tourism from Japan and foreign investments will also be hit hard, the agency said, without giving specific figures.

Vietnam exported 26,000 tonnes of tea for 36 million USD, in the first three months of the year. Despite a slight decrease in volume, the value was still close to the amount attained in the same period last year on the back of a rise of 3.7 percent in export price, which averaged 1,437 USD per tonne. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam’s three largest tea importers include Pakistan , Russia and Taiwan .

Peru’s Vice Minister of Foreign Trade, Carlos Posada has said that the government is doing its utmost to achieve the signing of the Free Trade Agreement being negotiated with Mexico, stating that an April signing is workable if the countries can agree final terms.

World oil prices were lower in Asian trade on Tuesday as investors locked in profits from a recent surge, but protests in the Arab world remained a concern, analysts said. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in May, known as the West Texas Intermediate (WTI), was down 23 cents to USD 108.24 per barrel.

Washington, DC - One of the largest U.S. producers of steel nails today requested that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) impose antidumping duties on imports of steel nails from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Mid Continent Nail Corporation (Mid Continent) of Poplar Bluff, Missouri, filed an antidumping duty petition alleging that unfairly traded imports of steel nails from the UAE are materially injuring the U.S. industry.  Mid Continent’s petition indicates antidumping margins ranging from 64% to 87%.