“Once in force, it will help developing countries better integrate into the global economy, intensify regional integration and lift millions out of poverty,” said European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo said the deal is now operational but will come into force once two-thirds of the members have officially accepted it. “This is a very important moment for the WTO,” said Azevedo. “We have put ourselves back in the game. We have put our negotiating work back on track.”

HANOI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Vietnam's economy is expected to grow faster than its 5.8 percent target this year, accelerating from last year thanks to steady growth in exports, the government said on Tuesday. Growth this year could be more than 5.9 percent, while inflation could stay below 3 percent, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told the annual Vietnam Business Forum, revising his estimate from "above 5.8 percent" mentioned earlier in a government statement.

A free trade agreement between Chile and Hong Kong entered into force on December 1, 2014, according to an announcement in Chile's Official Journal. The agreement, originally signed on September 7, 2012, provides both sides with preferential access to their respective markets.

AFTER declaring Chinese standard shipping containers were sold below cost in the United States, the Commerce Department has decided to apply for anti-dumping duties on further imports from China. Under a ruling, Chinese 53-footers would face anti-dumping duties of up to 153.24 per cent after a complaint from Stoughton Trailers, Reuters reports. Other containers, including those produced by the world's biggest box maker, Shenzhen's China International Marine Containers (CIMC), face a lower 24.27 per cent rate.

KYIV. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Ukraine has introduced an anti-dumping duty of 41.07% on imports of seamless stainless steel pipes of Chinese origin to Ukraine (foreign activity codes 7304 41 00 90, 7304 49 93 00 and 7304 49 95 00) for five years. The corresponding decision of the Interdepartmental Commission on International Trade of Ukraine dated November 27 this year was published in the Uriadovy Kurier newspaper on November 29 and will come into force 30 days after publication.

This deal will not only resuscitate the WTO, whose relevance was fast eroding due to proliferation of free-trade agreements, but will also revive multilateralism in global trade. After India and the United States reached an understanding on grain procurement and stockholding nearly two weeks ago, decks were cleared for the endorsement of global agreements on trade facilitation and perpetuation of the “peace clause” on farm and food subsidies by the General Council of the World Trade Organization.

India's farmers, trade unions and civil society groups have expressed alarm  over the country's participation in the 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations – a free trade agreement (FTA) involving the 10 Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. India is hosting the sixth round of RCEP negotiations for five days starting on Monday (December 1) in Greater Noida, near Delhi.

A third round of negotiations towards a broad-based free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states – Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway – and Malaysia took place in Geneva from November 25 to 28, 2014.

NEW DELHI: India is likely to challenge a WTO panel's ruling which had described the country's ban on American poultry product imports as inconsistent with global norms. The Department of Commerce is working on the "feasibility of filing an appeal against the WTO's panel report" in consultation with the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, sources said.

BEIJING, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- China's commerce ministry has said it will stop imposing anti-dumping duties on chloroform imported from South Korea, the United States, the European Union and India when the measures expire on Sunday. In 2004, China started levying five-year, anti-dumping duties on chloroform, widely used in the production of medicines, dyes and pesticides, from the countries. After a one-year probe in 2010, China decided to keep the anti-dumping measures until Nov. 30 2014.