Sixty-six developing country and least-developed country members have now submitted notifications to the WTO outlining which provisions of the new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) they intend to implement upon entry into force of the pact. At the 11 June meeting of the WTO’s Preparatory Committee on Trade Facilitation (PCTF), the chairman, Ambassador Esteban Conejos of the Philippines, said the number of "Category A" notifications received is an "encouraging sign of members’ continued commitment" to the TFA.

HA NOI  (VNS) — Viet Nam takes the lead among the world's shrimp supplier community for the highest number of businesses that have been granted four-star Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification. According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the four-star BAP certification is the highest level issued by Global Aquaculture Alliance.

Republicans aimed for a vote on Friday to hand President Barack Obama the coveted "fast-track" trade negotiating authority he needs to complete his signature Pacific trade pact after concessions to Democrats appeared to smooth the way forward. In a memo to fellow Republicans, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the House of Representatives would vote on Thursday on new funding for a program to help workers hurt by trade, before Friday's debate on legislation to speed trade deals through Congress. That tackles a key Democratic concern.

HA NOI  (VNS) — Vietnamese businesses are oblivious to the pressures of competitiveness in the wake of ASEAN moving up the ladder from AFTA to ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of 2015. A research by National University revealed that up to 60 per cent of Vietnamese enterprises believed that the AEC's establishment will not have much effect on the country.

The free trade agreement (FTA) signed between China and South Korea is expected to help Beijing negotiate more trade pacts with countries included in the "Belt and Road" initiatives, says former Chinese vice commerce minister Wei Jianguo. Wei, who currently serves as the secretary-general of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said the China-South Korea FTA will boost trade between the two countries and speed up economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Tripartite initiative between the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), the East African Community (EAC) and SADC is rooted in the AU’s Lagos Plan of Action and the Abuja Treaty, which aim to establish an African Economic Community. The three Tripartite communities have reached an important milestone in integrating their markets and economies by agreeing on the legal text to underpin the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).

A conference on establishing a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Vietnam was held at the Far East Institute under the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN) in Russia on June 8. The event is the first scientific conference in Russia on the free trade agreement (FTA) between EAEU and Vietnam which was signed on May 29.

HCM CITY (VNS) — Ahead of next month's meeting of the ASEAN Economic Integration task force, Netherlands-based consultancy TMF Group has published a briefing paper titled "The ASEAN Economic Community: Capturing the zeitgeist of rising Asia" exploring how international businesses can best harness the potential of this growing region. TMF's Asia-Pacific head Paolo Tavolato said 2015 would be a defining moment for Southeast Asian economies as the deadline for the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) looms.

HCMC – Exports of HCMC have surged at least 3.6 times since Vietnam became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) nine years ago, according to a report of the HCMC government. The city saw its outbound sales rising from nearly US$8.9 billion in 2006 to US$32.08 billion last year, up 3.6 times, said a review report on Vietnam’s international economic integration since the nation joined the global trade club in January 2007.

From June 1 to 4, 2015, delegates from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states and Turkey met in Ankara for the third round of negotiations on the modernization and expansion of their existing free trade agreement (FTA).