BRUSSELS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) and the United States made steady progress in all areas of the negotiations Friday, paving the way for a future trade and investment deal. A fourth round of negotiations concluded Friday. The week-long negotiation discussed all three pillars of a future agreement, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), including market access, regulatory aspects and rules.

South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister Hyun Oh-seok presided over a ministerial meeting on international economic affairs, which discussed measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMESs) entering Southeast Asian markets by engaging in regional initiatives to lower tariff barriers to trade.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Friday approved anti-dumping and countervailing investigations on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from China, paving the way for the Department of Commerce to set preliminary duties in the months ahead. The trade panel voted in the affirmative that there was a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry was materially injured by imports of these products, the ITC said in a statement.

Japan and the United States on Monday continued their bilateral talks to solve remaining issues on the fringes of a multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade meeting being held in Singapore, after the two failed to bridge gaps the day before. In their meeting held Monday morning, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Japanese Senior Vice Minister of the Cabinet Office Yasutoshi Nishimura likely made new efforts to meet halfway over tariffs Tokyo seeks to retain on farm products, as well as auto trade, an area in which Washington wants more concessions from Japan.

(Reuters) - The United States and Japan made some progress on resolving a deadlock over tariffs on farm and industrial exports which is dragging on a wider Pacific trade deal, a senior Japanese official said on Wednesday. Plans for a free trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), have been bogged down amid a stand-off between the United States and Japan over market access.

OTTAWA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- A new free trade agreement (FTA) signed by Canada and South Korea Tuesday drew mixed reactions in the North America country, with the auto industry and manufacturing sector complaining about being kept "in the dark" throughout the negotiations, and grain growers congratulating on the signing of the deal.

WASHINGTON – The level of market access proposed by Japan does not meet the standards of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, James Fatheree, president of the U.S.-Japan Business Council, said recently. “It is clear that Japan has more work to do in order to meet the expectations,” Fatheree said in an interview, suggesting Tokyo needs to make further concessions over the issue.

VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese garment exporters, from the big ones with strong brand names like Viet Tien or Nha Be, to outsourcing companies--have been gathering their strength to conquer the home market, which is believed to be more potential once the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is signed. The domestic market was never considered an important market for Vietnamese garment groups. This was the “playing field” for small companies only. However, they have changed their mind, trying to “return home.” Making money in home market, why not?

The revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA) will come into force on 6 April 2014, effectively two years from the date on which the Protocol amending the Agreement was adopted in March 2012. The Chairman of the WTO Committee on Government Procurement, Bruce Christie of Canada, confirmed that the threshold of acceptances by two-thirds of the Parties, which is required for the revised Agreement to come into force, had been met, with Israel accepting the Protocol on 7 March.

The European Union (EU) is to temporarily cut tariffs on Ukrainian exports until November 1, 2014. The EU said that it hopes in the meantime to sign the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) agreement with Ukraine. The College of Commissioners has agreed to a package put forward by Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht, which will see the EU open its doors to exports from Ukraine. Announcing the package, de Gucht said that if the (DCFTA) is not reached, the EU could prolong the use of the temporary tariff breaks past November 1.