GENEVA, July 24 (Reuters) - Japan has filed a trade complaint against Russia over a fee it levies on car imports, the World Trade Organization (WTO) said on Wednesday, following a similar move by the European Union.Russia says the fee offsets the cost of recycling cars but its critics say it is effectively an illegal tax on imports since it does not apply to cars made in Russia, nor Belarus and Kazakhstan, which have a customs union with Russia.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) released a trade policy review for the European Union (EU) on July 16, finding that the EU has managed to avoid protectionism as it grapples with its debt crisis. The focus of EU policy over the past two years has been on the financial crises and there have been relatively few changes to trade policies, laws, or institutions in other areas. However, the fact that there has been no retreat into protectionism is, in itself, a positive sign, according to the report.

Ukraine is set to export poultry to European Union (EU) countries starting from July 24, Agriculture Minister Mykola Prysyazhnuk announced Tuesday. "I am convinced that this year we will export at least 50,000 tons of poultry to European markets. And this figure is expected to grow with each passing year," Prysyazhnuk told a press conference here. Prysyazhnuk said that currently four Ukrainian companies were certified to export chicken meat to European countries.

Japan made its belated debut Tuesday as the 12th member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations in Malaysia after a four-month wait since announcing its intention to join the talks on creating one of the world’s largest free-trade areas. As the U.S., the leading TPP economy, completed its domestic procedures to start talks with Tokyo, Japan was welcomed into the 18th round of talks, which began July 15, Japanese officials said.

Japan became the 12th member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations on Tuesday as it officially joined the ongoing free trade talks in Malaysia. The Japanese delegation of more than 100 officials was only able to join the 18th round of negotiations in Malaysia's resort city of Kota Kinabalu after the United States concluded its domestic procedure to include Japan in the negotiations.

Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will be making a four-day visit to the United States this week, with one of his major goals to seek guidance on how to proceed with the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade talks. The 18th round of talks between 11 countries began last July 15, with Japan set to become the 12th country to join the negotiations by Wednesday.

While a great deal of political and media attention is focusing on what the Trans-Pacific Partnership might mean for Japan’s agricultural sector, less is being devoted to how it could impact investor-state disputes and copyright laws, two controversial areas that present a growing challenge to forging the trade accord.

The Asia Pacific region is leading the world in mobile computing, enabling the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to leapfrog into large business opportunities. If barriers are lowered through technology, what is to stop from more Skype, Angry bird or Google-type coming on board, said John Galligan of Microsoft Asia Pacific. Social media has enabled them to have access to global supply chains and new markets, while cloud computing has also enabled greater collaboration across borders.

KOTA KINABALU, MALAYSIA – The 11 members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade liberalization initiative are considering holding the next round of talks in Brunei in late August, sources said Saturday. The 18th round of negotiations is currently under way in the Malaysian resort of Kota Kinabalu. Japan is expected to make its debut as the 12th member of the nearly 4-year-old talks on Tuesday, after the United States completes the requisite 90-day notification period to Congress.

SINGAPORE - Following the recent launch of free trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union, there are now three mega-trade and investment liberalisation blocs being shaped in various parts of the world. Each is different in geographic coverage. But all have sufficient economic clout to ensure that whichever is first to conclude a credible agreement will have a significant impact on international trade and geopolitics.