Southeast Asian countries will prioritize creating an Asia-focused trade pact this year that includes China, India and Japan, while trade issues with the United States will be put on the back burner, the Philippine trade minister said.

The Indonesian government is currently studying the opportunities and challenges with regard to the making of a new bilateral trade deal with the USA. These efforts are a side-effect of US Vice President Mike Pence’s recent visit to Indonesia when he signed 11 trade and investment deals worth a combined USD $10 billion.

The Department of Trade and Industry said Tuesday it was studying the possibility of a free trade agreement with the US, ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines.

Global trade needs a win to fend off rising tides of protectionism and anti-globalisation. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) offers the best ammunition to achieve this.

Exploratory free trade talks are underway this week as Canadian and Chinese officials visit one another's countries to discuss what a potential agreement might look like.

The EU and Vietnam have reached an agreement on a free trade deal that will remove nearly all tariffs on commerce between the two economies and contribute to further market access, albeit with long transition periods for certain products.

A United Nations think-tank has warned the East African Community against entering into an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union arguing that it will neither spur economic growth nor bring wealth to the region’s citizens.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecasts that Vietnam’s exports will grow stronger in the second quarter, thanks to business reforms and the implementation of free trade agreements.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel fueled expectations of a future EU-U.S trade deal on Sunday, saying she was "very encouraged" talks were being looked at after her recent trip to Washington.

Deputy PM Dung made the suggestion during his meeting with Irish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Charles Flanagan in Dublin on April 21, where he affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to its cooperative ties with Ireland.