In Louella D. Desidero's article, "Phl to open more bilateral agreements," published in the Philippine Star on 22 September 2014, Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal, Jr. was quoted expressing the government's interest in "exploring more bilateral FTAs" after "the usual consultations and impact studies."

(Reuters) - The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday set lower final duties on imports from China of food additive monosodium glutamate, known as MSG, and slightly higher duties on Indonesian imports of the additive. Under the final ruling, MSG imports from China, including from Meihua Holdings Group, face anti-dumping duties of 8.3 percent, revised from a preliminary decision of just over 52 percent. MSG imports from Indonesia face a margin of 6.19 percent, slightly higher than the preliminary decision.

Vietnam levied anti-dumping duties on stainless steel products from four economies for the first time ever, a move that was hotly discussed during a workshop in Hanoi recently. The Vietnam Competition Authority (VCA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the steel manufacturers of mainland China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Taiwan (China) had shown signs of dumping their products in the Vietnamese market, bringing heavy losses to the domestic steel industry.

The Finance Ministry has imposed provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of electrical insulators (glass or porcelain) from China. Electrical insulators are typically used in bushings, disconnectors, circuit breakers, transformers, power transmission and distribution lines, including Railways. The petition seeking an anti-dumping probe on electrical insulator imports from China was filed by Aditya Birla Nuvo, Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd, WS Industries, Modern Insulators and Insulator and Electrical Company.

At an interview granted a Washington-based Radio Voice of Vietnam (VOV) reporter, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh, showed his optimism about the recent progress of negotiations on the trade pact. Following are key excerpts from the interview: VOV: What is the basic content of the discussions with the US regarding TPP negotiations with the US – one of largest and most important partners in the agreement?

Working-level officials of Japan and the United States held a teleconference Saturday to narrow down trade topics for a bilateral ministerial meeting next week on the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact. The trade meeting, to be held in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, will be attended by Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Amari and U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. The focus will be on whether Tokyo and Washington can solve their disagreements on how to treat five farm product categories protected by Japan, including beef and pork.

It is important to press ahead and conclude talks for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday, as he suggested that the United States' economic footprint in the region could be affected by a failure to do so. The US-led TPP involving 12 economies from the Asia-Pacific, South-east Asia, Australia and Latin America, has significant economic advantages, including for Washington - which says it wants to have a strategic and significant presence in the Asia-Pacific.

The Hanoitimes - The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has issued an order imposing anti-dumping tariffs on stainless steel to protect the domestic market and create a level playing field between imported and local products. This is the first time Vietnam has levied anti-dumping tariffs on imports from other nations to the local market following its integration into the global economy. However, there remain differing opinions on the question as to the actual impact of the tariffs on domestic consumption and production.

HA NOI (VNS) — The National Food Authority (NFA) of the Philippines approved the import of 200,000 tonnes of rice from Viet Nam via a government-to-government (G2G) deal. Viet Nam and Thailand vied to supply 500,000 tonnes of 25-percent broken rice to the Philippines. Thai suppliers offered the best price for 300,000 tonnes, so the NFA Auction Board announced it would buy the amount from Thailand and invited Viet Nam to supply the remaining 200,000 tonnes at the same price. The rice is scheduled to be delivered between October 15 and December 15.

OTTAWA, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will sign a free trade deal with Canada next week, President Park Geun-hye said Saturday, as she arrived in Ottawa for a three-day state visit on a trip that will also take her to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. The two countries concluded a free trade agreement in March after nearly nine years of tough negotiations, a deal Seoul says could benefit South Korea's automobile industries, among other industries.