Both the countries already have a free trade agreement (FTAs) in goods, but now the talks are on to widen the scope of this pact by including services and investments to make it comprehensive.

Indonesia is looking to seize opportunities from the US-China trade war to increase its exports and foreign exchange, while replacing imported goods by locally-manufactured counterparts.

Indonesia’s economy expanded 5.27 percent in the second quarter of 2018, the highest growth rate since the fourth quarter of 2013, thanks to growing domestic consumption.

The third meeting of the Việt Nam-Thailand Joint Trade Committee opened on August 2 in Hà Nội with the aim of enhancing bilateral economic and trade co-operation.

The government will set up a group of ministers (GoM) to look into issues related to the proposed mega free trade agreement Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), official sources said.

The Freight Transport Association (UK) wants the government to prioritise aviation and road access negotiations with the European Union (EU) to ensure business doesn't stall on March 29, 2019, the official Brexit departure date. James Hookham, the FTA's deputy chief executive said leaving the EU means an end to the automatic rights for trucks to drive and planes to fly between the UK and the EU and the UK also will lose automatic access to the flying rights contained in EU aviation agreements negotiated with other countries, including the US.

Last week, international media reported that the Trump administration was considering slapping a 25 per cent tariff on US$200 billion of imported Chinese goods, 10 per cent higher than its initial proposal, in a bid to pressure Beijing to make trade concessions.

The European Union, in upcoming trade talks with the U.S., wants to build on what the two sides achieved on regulatory cooperation in previous trade negotiations from 2013-2016, instead of starting from scratch, EU sources told Bloomberg Law.

Mexico’s economy minister said on Friday that Mexico and the United States could overcome key stumbling blocks standing in the way of a new NAFTA deal next week, adding that Canada would likely soon rejoin the negotiations.

The government will set up a group of ministers (GoM) to look into issues related to the proposed mega free trade agreement RCEP, official sources said.