TAIPEI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A total of 806 products under the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan are tariff-free after the third stage of exemptions of the Early Harvest Program was launched on Tuesday.The Early Harvest Program, implemented two years ago, is designed to make people across the Taiwan Strait enjoy the bonus of the ECFA before the full liberalization of economic ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

GENEVA: Nine countries have presented candidates to succeed Pascal Lamy as head of the World Trade Organisation ahead of the deadline Monday.The last candidate was Roberto Azevedo, Brazil's envoy to the WTO, whose name was put forth on Friday. He has been with the world's trade oversight body since 2008.

As 2012 draws to a close, international economics observers are watching the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations that are expected to be completed in 2013.The Peterson Institute, which has just released two new policy papers analyzing the TPP, calls the negotiations “the largest and most important trade talks taking place anywhere in the world”.

BANGKOK, Dec 29 2012 (IPS) — Days before leaders of the European Union (EU) arrived in Norway to collect this year’s Nobel Peace prize, Thai public health activists sent a letter to the northern powerhouse, warning that the EU’s 2012 accolades face a credibility test in this Southeast Asian country.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) on Friday cleared the way for the government to continue anti-dumping investigations on imports of silica bricks and shapes from China.The USITC determined that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially hurt by Chinese silica bricks and shapes that are allegedly sold in U.S. market with dumping margins from 118.47 percent to 290.12 percent.

More than a century and a half after Millard Fillmore dispatched an emissary to Asia to transform commerce across the Pacific, a U.S. president again sees an historic opportunity to strengthen America’s role in the region.

The Canadian Finance Ministry has launched consultations on the future of its tariff regime for developing countries.

A decision on whether Japan will join the Trans-Pacific Partnership multilateral free-trade talks could come before the House of Councillors election next summer, which is considered the deadline for declaring participation in the talks, according to observers.An agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito to form a coalition includes their stance on whether Japan will join the TPP negotiations.

WASHINGTON — The Liberal Democratic Party should declare its intention of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade talks "as soon as possible," while also unveiling its long-term strategy for economic growth, according to Michael Green of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

WELLINGTON/GENEVA, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The field of candidates to succeed Pascal Lamy as head of the World Trade Organization burst open on Friday, as New Zealand, Mexico, Jordan and Kenya threw names into the ring with 10 days left for nominations.