TAIPEI, Taiwan (TheStreet) -- More than a decade after joining the World Trade Organization, China is still holding out on a follow-up agreement that would open up government contracts to foreign firms. The issue came up again on Dec. 5, when China made its fourth offer to join the WTO's Government Procurement Agreement. The terms Beijing is offering have already generated public criticism from Europeans and are likely to leave other trading partners dissatisfied.

A prominent consumers’ advocate says he’s worried Canada will sell out its new copyright law in favour of tough new restrictions on consumers as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. Steve Anderson, executive director of OpenMedia, says Canada’s chief negotiator at the TPP talks, Kirsten Hillman, would not answer a question on whether Canada would fight to maintain the copyright policies it put into effect earlier this year.

(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's summit in Brussels next week may be the last chance to avoid a trade row between Russia and the European Union escalating into a legal battle at the World Trade Organization. EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht told reporters in Geneva on Thursday that Russia needed to change its "unacceptable" behavior.

Dec 13 (Reuters) - Peru's Congress unanimously approved a free-trade pact with the European Union late on Wednesday, meaning the Andean country now has trade agreements with every major economy from China to Japan and the United States.

The Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Pascal Lamy agreed with members that Doha Round negotiations should continue to focus on "achievables," to maintain the positive momentum seen during the second half of 2012.

WHILE MANY people are celebrating the reelection of US President Barack Obama (for who knows what reason), the realities that such brings are none too cheerful.

Last week Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada announced Canada had "officially joined the latest round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations" after more than two and a half years of talks by previously engaged nations. The 15th round of talks, involving Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the U.S. and Vietnam, wrapped up yesterday in Auckland.

Negotiators say they've made good progress at the Auckland round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks, but the diplomats stayed quiet about exactly how much progress they've made towards their goal of reaching a final agreement by October of next year. “It has been a constructive and busy week, with further progress being made across the negotiation,” says New Zealand’s chief negotiator David Walker.

(Reuters) - U.S.-led talks in New Zealand on a free trade deal for the Asia-Pacific region have made some progress but have a long way to go to reach a pact to dismantle entrenched trade barriers by the end of next year, the negotiators said on Wednesday.

(Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said on Tuesday that he was optimistic a deal could be reached in Asia Pacific free-trade talks in 2013 though tough issues remain. "It's a negotiation. It will be very difficult to close ... (but) we've done it before," Kirk said, referring to other trade pacts the United States has concluded.