(Reuters) - Asian trade powerhouse South Korea took a step closer on Friday to joining 12-nation talks aimed at slashing trade barriers between nations making up about 40 percent of the world economy. The world's seventh-largest exporter said after a meeting of top economic officials that it would soon enter negotiations with the United States, Japan, Canada and nine others already in the group.

The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Roberto Azevedo, has said that negotiations on the first global trade deal in the organization's history are on the brink of collapse. The WTO members have come "very close to fully agreed texts," Azevedo said, but "over the last few days, we stopped making the tough political calls." Talks on the global trade deal, which could potentially add nearly USD1 trillion to the world economy, began in 2001.

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- South Africa's parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (PPCAFF) on Friday said an EU ban on imports of South African citrus products is a "major concern."

Nov 29 (Reuters) - - India's trade minister said there would be no compromise on a flagship food subsidy programme at a WTO ministerial meeting next week that diplomats said earlier could be a stumbling block to a deal.

Vietnam regards its integration into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as not a final target but a continuation of the national course of economic reform that focuses on facilitating trade and investment activities. Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh made the remark at a conference in Hanoi on November 28 to announce the outcomes of the first review of trade policies and practices of Vietnam at the WTO. 

As negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) resume in Salt Lake City, Utah, activists are decrying the unprecedented level of secrecy shrouding this 19th round of talks, which take place from Nov. 19 to 24. The monumental agreement is being hashed out by several hundred representatives of corporations based in 12 nations on both sides of the Pacific Ocean without any direct government involvement, and advocacy groups say that the latest round of discussions, which are only open to "Chief Negotiators and Key Experts," are even more secretive than previous rounds.

PITTSBURGH, Nov 27, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Calgon Carbon Corporation (CCC) announced that the Department of Commerce (DOC) has determined the amount of antidumping tariffs to be assessed on imports of steam activated carbon from China that entered the United States between April 2, 2011 to March 31, 2012. The average tariff rate is $0.07 per lb. which replaces the average rate of $0.47 per lb. that had been in effect. These announced tariffs may be modified to correct any errors made by the Commerce Department.

Nov 27 (Reuters) – Indonesia has launched a trade dispute against Pakistan over paper products, the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday. Indonesia wants Pakistan to close down its investigations into imports of writing and printing paper, on which it could decide to levy punitive anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties.

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission's proposed ban on fish imports from Cambodia would cause no harm to the country's fish exports since it has never sold fish to European countries, a Cambodian fisheries chief said Wednesday. "The sanctions, announced by the European Commission on Tuesday, do not affect Cambodia's fish exports at all," Nao Thuok, director-general of the Fisheries Administration at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Xinhua. "Cambodia has never exported fish to Europe because of stringent standards."

KARACHI: The trade potential between India and Pakistan is estimated to be around $20 billion against the current around $3bn, according to a working paper published by ICRIER. However, non-trade barriers (NTBs) and bureaucratic hurdles continue to impede growth in the bilateral trade. To foster dialogue in this regard, ‘Normalising India-Pakistan Trade – 2nd Regional Chambers of Commerce Roundtable’ was held on Tuesday.