Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that the United States and Japan will hold their first bilateral trade talks in Washington on Aug. 9

Agriculture ministers from the G20 countries criticized protectionism in a joint statement on Saturday, and vowed to reform World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, but did not detail what steps they would take to improve the food trade system

Concerns remain following a recently concluded two-day conclave on July 11-12 in Washington DC, in which delegates deliberated on mutually beneficial trade and investment opportunities under the banner of the 17th African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) forum.

The United States has maintained its leading position as Việt Nam’s largest export market having spent US$21.6 billion on Vietnamese products in the first half of the year, accounting for 19 per cent of the country’s total export value as of July 15.

The free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the 10-member ASEAN needs to be upgraded and expanded for the pact to deliver desired results, Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh has said.

The United States has maintained its leading position as Viet Nam’s largest export market having spent US$21.6 billion on Vietnamese products in the first half of the year, accounting for 19 per cent of the country’s total export value as of July 15.

President Xi Jinping said that China and Mauritius are expected to sign a Free Trade Agreement in the near future, following meetings with Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in the Indian ocean island nation, Yicai.com reported.

China's Foreign Ministry is taking a friendly stance towards both the UK and the US, saying Beijing is open to advancing bilateral trade and investment cooperation with either or both of these countries.

US - University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture projections indicate that the signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in March 2018 could disadvantage US beef exports to Japan, a stumbling block that US beef producers can ill afford.

Vietnam has for the first time ever become China’s biggest trade partner in the Asean bloc, with two-way trade hitting over US$10 billion for every month of 2018.