Advocacy groups charge that the partnership weakens protections for consumers around food, privacy and labor standards, calls for new transparencies. Consumer interest groups from across Latin America met in Santiago to express concerns about a free trade agreement that will unite 12 major economies, saying the deal is being signed in secret and will prevent regulation of contentious items such as genetically modified food. 

BEIJING, May 31 (Xinhua) -- China has been following the talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and hopes for more transparency in the discussions, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday. Hong's remarks came after the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Francisco J. Sanchez, said the United States welcomes China to join the TPP.

WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - Nearly 200 U.S. lawmakers have signed a letter urging President Barack Obama to insist on new rules against currency manipulation in a proposed trade agreement with Japanand 10 other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. "As the United States continues to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership, it is imperative that the agreement address currency manipulation," the letter said, according to a copy obtained by Reuters on Thursday.

(Reuters) - A deal among the United States, China, the European Union and nearly two dozen other countries to eliminate duties on billions of dollars of technology products could be reached in the next two months, U.S. technology groups said on Thursday.

Bangkok, May 30 — Emphasizing that India and Thailand stand to benefit from increased trade, the prime ministers of both countries Thursday directed their respective commerce ministers to work out the India-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) "at the earliest". Senior officials said here that the FTA could be in place before October, reflecting the seriousness of both the governments.

The 8th World Chambers Congress of the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation held in Doha, Qatar, on 25 April gave hope for the conclusion to the Doha Round.

Among decisions taken during the meeting of the World Trade Organization's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) on May 24, 2013, a panel was approved to examine Japanese claims of illegitimate Chinese anti-dumping duties being levied on High Performance Stainless Steel Seamless Tubes from Japan.

(Reuters) - Chinese state media rejected on Thursday European accusations that China was pressuring the European Union to drop plans to impose import duties on Chinese solar panels, adding EU member states had a right to disagree with the tariff. The EU's trade chief, Karel De Gucht, bluntly told China this week it was wasting its time trying to put pressure on him to drop the duties plans.

China said it’s studying the possibility of joining the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, a move that comes about a month after the existing 11 members allowed Japan to join the negotiations. “We will analyze the advantages, disadvantages and the possibility of joining the TPP, based on careful research and according to principles of equality and mutual benefit,” Shen Danyang, a Commerce Ministry spokesman, said in a statement on its website today. “China also hopes to exchange information and materials with TPP members on the negotiations.”

Negotiators involved in the latest round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations have continued to make progress on developing packages that will provide access to participating countries' textile and apparel products.