WASHINGTON (Nikkei)--The U.S. intends to gauge the Liberal Democratic Party's commitment to strengthening bilateral relations by waiting to see if Japan will participate in the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. Washington has welcomed the stance of LDP President Shinzo Abe, the presumptive prime minister, to forge stronger Japan-U.S. ties, including his decision to make the U.S. his first trip abroad as leader.

Kazakhstan hopes to have received the necessary approvals to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2013, the nation's Minister for Economic Integration, Zhanar Aitzhanova, told the recent, 14th meeting of the Working Party in charge of overseeing the nation's accession.

Le Quoc An, Senior Advisor to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vitas), was the person who gave the figure, affirming that this is not an “illusion,” if Vietnam can grab the opportunities to be brought by TPP.

TOKYO, Dec. 17(Xinhua) -- Japan and Colombia held the first round of free trade agreement talks in Tokyo on Monday. Japan aims to increase auto exports to Colombia and hopes the tariffs can be eliminated, Japanese media said. The two countries discussed areas to be covered by the bilateral free trade pact. The Japanese side was represented by Jun Yokota, ambassador in charge of economic diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry.

Dec 17 (Reuters) - Ghana has put forward the first official candidate to succeed Pascal Lamy as head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), nominating its former Trade Minister Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen. Kyerematen's bid to take over after Lamy's second term expires on Aug. 31. was widely expected after he won the backing of the African Union earlier this year.

After more than two years of talks, the European Commission has concluded the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Singapore. Negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Singapore began in March, 2010, and were completed on December 16, 2012, by EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht and Singapore's Minister of Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang.

Private sector concerned about opening of professional labour market; Yingluck reportedly keen to wrap up full free-trade deal soon The private sector has asked Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra not to announce any agreement to proceed with a bilateral free-trade pact with India, expressing particular concern over the country’s request that Thailand open its market to Indian professional workers.

Canada’s first week as a full-fledged member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership has been … well … a little dull. Observers in Auckland, New Zealand, where the 15th round of 11-country trade and investment negotiations will wrap up in a few days, agree "that no marked progress has been made," and that the most difficult discussion on market access for agricultural products (in particular dairy, but also processed food, beef and pork) is "a mess — without structure," according to TPP skeptic Peter Clark.

GENEVA (Reuters) - A surge in trade disputes has forced the World Trade Organization to reallocate staff to cope with a flood of litigation in the pipeline for 2013, according to diplomats and documents at the global trade body in Geneva.

MEXICO CITY, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Mexico said it would drop a complaint over import curbs against Argentina before the World Trade Organization after the two countries signed a more limited automobile trade pact. Mexican economy minister Ildefonso Guajardo said the country would withdraw its complaint over Argentina's trade restrictions, which also have drawn challenges from the European Union, the United States and Japan.