• International firms based in Asia may consider relocating supply chains to Latin America after the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement launched • China and Asean countries are already facing competition from Mexico, Brazil and India, and the US-China trade war may also play a role

One year after its coming into force, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has initially brought about positive effects for foreign trade activities; however, many opportunities from the agreement have not been fully explored.

After more than ayear of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade in Forest Products between Vietnam and the European Union (VPA/FLEGT) takes effect, Vietnam is making efforts to legislate regulations to enable FLEGT licensing, paving the way for Vietnamese timber to "enter" into the EU and other prestigious markets.

Challenges will overwhelm opportunities for Vietnamese part suppliers if they are unable to find ways to upgrade technology and meet international production standards, business executives said on July 24.

The United States imported 302 tonnes of mango, guava, and mangosteen from Vietnam worth US$850,000 during the opening five months of the year, representing a 1.8-fold increase on-year, according to statistics released by the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Exports from Vietnam to members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) increased sharply in 2019, according to a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT).

The EU has always been the second-largest market of Vietnam's aquatic export. When the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) takes effect, aquatic exports to the EU are expected to grow robustly.

Vietnam’s economy is expected to gain enormously from the FTA with the EU. However, the country will face major criticism unless it adopts labor and human rights reforms.

In an exclusive Q&A with Dr. Richard Thurston – former Senior Vice President at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd, and “Of Counsel” with Duane Morris, LLP in New York, we take a closer look at the current international trade climate as Taiwan’s efforts to re-shore impact current trade relations while exposing a significant need for bilateral trade agreements and the need to improve opportunities in workforce development.

In the past six months, due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, export turnover of many key commodities has declined, and enterprises have encountered several difficulties. Ministries and provinces have implemented many solutions to find out the market for products, especially, they have adopted the application of electronic transactions into operation to reduce the risk of interrupting commercial transactions for enterprises.