Japan won approval from participating countries to join talks on a U.S.-led Asia Pacific free trade agreement, central to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans to open the economy to more competition and revive growth.The formal invitation for Tokyo to join the negotiations was extended at a meeting of members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Saturda

Companies would race to profit from a free trade agreement (FTA) between the European Union and the United States, bringing a near instant boost to both economies, the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said."If they made a deal tomorrow, U.S.

As APEC trade ministers meet in Indonesia this week to discuss strengthening regional trade links, Japan will enter another critical phase for joining the talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which involves many members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.During the two-day meeting starting Saturday in Surabaya, the ministers of 21-member AP

France said on Thursday it would block proposed negotiations on a free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States unless cultural sectors, such as television and radio, were excluded from the talks.Trade ministers held an unprecedented informal meeting in Dublin on Thursday on the negotiations, which the Commission and most member st

HCMC - Vietnam will only sign an agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership currently under negotiation when the country has made all necessary preparations in order to lessen negative impact on its economy and businesses, Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh said.“Vietnam will lose more than what it gains if it signs the TPP agreement when

India hit back at U.S. accusations of trade restrictions in its solar industry on Wednesday, suggesting Washington was guilty of the banned practices, in a move that may deepen divides between giants of the developing and developed world.India asked Washington to justify incentives offered to U.S.

An international business group is urging World Trade Organization members to strike a deal to simplify global customs procedures at a trade ministers meeting in Bali in December to prove the WTO is still a force for trade liberalization."We think it's important, indeed indispensable, for the WTO to come out of Bali with something that the world will see

THE PHILIPPINES is in no hurry to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, a Cabinet official said, preferring to improve the country’s business environment first.“We can pursue it but is it wise to lobby for it? Let’s just wait until we’re ready,” Trade Secretary Gregory L.

A trade alliance between the U.S. and the European Union would give a lift to both economies and help them recover from the economic crisis, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said.“Truly, this is the cheapest stimulus package you can imagine,” De Gucht wrote today in an article in Parliament Magazine.

Vietnamese businesses should make the best of China's Hong Kong as a gateway for bringing their goods to other markets, reported Vietnam's state-run Vietnam News on Tuesday.The newspaper quoted the saying by experts at a seminar recently held in capital Hanoi to discuss ways to boost exports to the territory.