(Reuters) - European Union and Chinese leaders agreed on Thursday to avoid trade protectionist measures following months of increasing tensions between the global partners with China undertaking to continue to invest in European debt. At a summit in Brussels, the 15th between the world's largest trading bloc and China, the second largest economy, Premier Wen Jiabao sought to play down a dispute with Europe over Beijing's export policies and trade practices.

(Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk on Wednesday urged lawmakers to approve long-delayed legislation to upgrade trade relations withRussia when they return after the November 6 U.S. elections. It is critical that lawmakers pass the legislation to ensure U.S. companies share in the full market-opening benefits of Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, he said in a speech at a services industry conference.

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiators have continued to make progress at the 14th round of negotiations, which ended in Leesburg, Virginia. Responding to direction in the September 9th statement of TPP Leaders issued at Vladivostok, Russia, negotiators in Leesburg focused on resolving outstanding issues where possible and narrowing differences on those that still need work.

The light can be seen at the end of the tunnel — a new steel policy is not too far from being formalized. India expects to announce its new policy soon, replacing the current one which was passed in 2005. While the steel sector debates the finer points in the draft of the steel policy, the cry to delete steel from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and countries like Japan and Korea just got shriller.

Trade talks concerning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "continue to make progress", according to the US, with Canada and Mexico poised to join the next round of negotiations. The 14th round of TPP talks, which concluded at the weekend in Leesburg, Virginia, involved the US, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Described as a "key trade initiative" of the Obama Administration, the TPP is viewed by the US as vital to boosting exports to the Asia Pacific region.

The 14th round of talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement ended in Virginia, USA, on September 16, with remarkable progress being made in various areas. Head of the Vietnamese delegation, Deputy Minister of Trade Tran Quoc Khanh, talked about the results of the round in an exclusive interview with a Washington-based VOV correspondent. VOV online presents the following excerpts from the interview.

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Monday said the United States was challenging Chinese auto and auto-parts subsidies that threatened American jobs as he campaigned in Ohio, an auto manufacturing state that could be decisive in the November presidential election. Beijing fired back with a complaint against U.S. duties on many Chinese exports, in the latest example of trade tension between the world's two largest economies.

In recent years, Canada has been largely ambivalent about its role as an Asia-Pacific nation. Canada can be a significant player in the Asia-Pacific. Despite strong immigration from Asia, historical links and growing trade across the Pacific, engagement with Asia that was well developed from the 1970s through the 1990s (Canada hosted the APEC summit in Vancouver in 1997), Canada’s involvement in the region has declined significantly in the first decade of this century.

BERLIN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed Monday that her position after the European Commission launched an anti-dumping investigation against China solar companies that the issue should be settled through political dialogue. "There are very clear deadlines in the process of such (anti-dumping) cases. The deadline of opening the case has now come," Merkel said when answering a question from Xinhua, adding that the EU investigation is the need of legal procedures.

On Sunday, TPP negotiators concluded their 14th round of negotiations.  The IPR talks revolved around cooperation on IPRs, trademarks, and geographical indications.  Progress in the IPR negotiations were said to be progressing very slowly, and negotiators were scheduled to address copyright provisions on the last day.