HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam expects to reach a total export value of US$2 billion for fruits and vegetables this year, an official of the Viet Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association (Vinafruit) said. Huynh Quang Dau, Vinafruit deputy chairman, said Viet Nam's export value of fruits and vegetables had seen strong growth in recent times, reported kinhtenongthon.com.vn. The export value reached $1.47 billion in 2014, much higher than the $500 million earned in 2013, due to the expansion of the export market.

The trouble with our trade debates is that people assume they're only about economics. Since World War II, U.S. trade policy has also been a pillar of U.S. foreign policy. In the early postwar decades, America encouraged trade with Europe and Japan - allowing more of their exports into the United States - as a way of achieving our political goals. Trade would build their prosperity, and their prosperity would promote democracy over communism.

India and the European Union will likely resume free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in June, with New Delhi expressing willingness to accommodate the EU’s demands for lower duties on wines, spirits and automobiles, provided Brussels relents to grant India ‘data secure nation’ status besides facilitating easier movement of skilled Indian professionals in Europe.

VietNamNet Bridge – Forty years after the war ended, relations between Viet Nam and the United States have grown significantly, especially in trade. In 2014, Viet Nam became the top ASEAN exporter to the US with a record trade surplus of almost US$25 billion. Bilateral trade reached $36.3 billion last year. Both nations are participants of Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations, so bilateral trade is predicted to expand.

(Reuters) - The 12 countries working toward a historic Pacific trade pact could reach a deal at the end of May, though Canada must still show greater willingness to open up its markets, a senior Chilean official said on Thursday. Chile is among the nations in talks over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade pact that would cover 40 percent of the world economy and includes the United States and Japan.

(MENAFN - Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Japan and the European Union (EU) wrapped up the 10th round of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry announced here. At week-long talks in Tokyo, the two sides held fruitful discussions on areas such as trade in goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property rights, non-tariff measures, government procurement and others, according to the ministry. The schedule of the next round will be arranged accordingly, the ministry said, without providing further details.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive C Y Leung said he looked forward to the successful conclusion of negotiations on the proposed Hong Kong-Association of Southeast Asian Nations free trade agreement "in the coming year," during his speech to the ASEAN Leadership Forum in Kuala Lumpur on April 26.

South Korea is working to officially sign its bilateral free trade agreement with China in May, a ranking government official said Monday. The move comes as the government seeks to implement the free trade pact before the end of the year. "After the FTA is officially signed, the government plans to submit a ratification bill to the National Assembly before the end of the first half," Deputy Trade Minister Woo Tae-hee told a regular press briefing. Implementing the FTA before the year's end is a key to maximizing its benefits, the official said.

Nations tackle issues, court Pacific partners, Congress, as Abe gets set to visit Washington The U.S. and Japan, nearing an accord designed to transform ties between the economic rivals and open the way for a trade pact among 12 Pacific nations, still face differences and the challenge of bringing other countries and Congress on board.

The European Union will explore the possibility of resuming talks on a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations more than six years after negotiations between the two sides collapsed.