JAKARTA, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior Indonesian official said on Friday that the nation intends to preserve its export value to countries grouped in Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, adding that exports to those economies have contributed almost 70 percent to the country's total exports last year. Trade Deputy Minister Bayu Krisnamurti said that Indonesia has considered countries joined in APEC as crucially essential for the country's exports. Indonesia saw a total of 139.9 billion U.S. dollars of export value to the region throughout last year.

(Reuters) - China, the world's top wheat and rice consumer, will issue low-tariff import quotas for key grains and cotton in 2014 at the same level as it allocated this year, keeping a lid on imports of lower-priced overseas imports, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said on Friday.The wheat import quotas are capped at 9.6 million tonnes, corn at 7.2 million tonnes, rice at 5.3 million tonnes and cotton at 894,00 tonnes.

BRUSSELS (Jiji Press)—Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht agreed at a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday that Japan and the EU should accelerate their free trade talks. They agreed both sides will work to announce at a bilateral summit in Tokyo in November that they will aim for an early conclusion of the negotiations on their economic partnership agreement.

WASHINGTON - An alliance of cattlemen representing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States recently signed a letter, announcing their support for a comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.  

US & CHINA - China’s decision not to appeal chicken case to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is welcome news for US industry. The announcement on 25 September by US Trade Representative Michael Froman that the WTO has formally adopted the recent dispute settlement panel’s report in China’s anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases against imports of US chicken products is welcome news for the US poultry industry, according to the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council (USAPEEC) .

The chairman of the industry group representing New Zealand's beef and lamb farmers said Wednesday he hopes Japan will cut its tariffs on imported beef under a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade accord. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Chairman Mike Petersen told a press conference in Tokyo his group understands the unease in Japan, particularly in its heavily protected agricultural sector, over the TPP, in which Japan, New Zealand and 10 other countries are participating.

HANOI: Vietnam is "ready to work closely" with Japan in Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.  "Vietnam is willing to cooperate with all members of the TPP negotiations, and particularly with Japan," Minh said in written answers to questions submitted by Japan's Jiji Press. The two countries have a good relationship and many years of working together, he noted. 

The United States and Japan are considering making a joint proposal concerning Trans-Pacific Partnership rules on drug patents, making it possible for generic drugs to be sold sooner in developing countries, sources close to the matter said Saturday. According to the sources, the joint proposal will call on developed nations like the United States, Japan and Australia to extend the period of patent protection for medicinal drugs while allowing shorter periods in developing countries like Malaysia and Vietnam.

WASHINGTON – Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiators on Saturday cleared the way for political decisions at high-level meetings next month that may lead to the creation of a new free trade pact that will dwarf existing agreements, Japan’s top TPP negotiator said. “We have succeeded in laying the groundwork before upgrading future negotiations to the political level,” Koji Tsuruoka told a press conference after a four-day meeting of TPP chief negotiators concluded in Washington.

WELLINGTON, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser will be exploring opportunities for trade with Japan under the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in talks in Japan this week. "Japan's entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations presents very significant opportunities for both countries," Groser said in a statement Monday.