Negotiations have begun between Canada and Costa Rica on the proposed modernization of their existing free trade agreement (FTA), it has been announced. The first round of talks began on November 8 in Ottawa and are set to conclude on November 10, the Canadian government has said. The current FTA entered into force in 2002, and focuses largely on trade in goods. It is hoped that an expanded treaty will deepen market access in services and government procurement. It will also be improved to cover e-commerce, telecommunications, investment and technical barriers to trade.

The South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, has expressed the opinion that the planned roll out of the proposed tripartite free trade agreement (FTA), between the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), may “hit a snag” when negotiating on trade in manufactured goods between the member countries.

Statistics released by US customs on November 4 showed a marked increase in bilateral trade between Vietnam and the US in 2011 compared to figures in 2010. Figures show that Vietnam’s exports to the US in the first eight months of this year reached US$11.3 billion, up 20.6 percent against the same period last year, while US exports to Vietnam reached $2.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 21.5 percent.

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Leaders of 21 countries in the economically dynamic Asia-Pacific region meet in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Nov. 12-13 for the annual APEC summit. The formal agenda set by host nation the United States will cover strengthening regional economic integration, promoting "green" growth and expanding regulatory cooperation. But other issues could also play an important role in the talks, including U.S.-China rivalry and cooperation; Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program; and the impact of the euro zone crisis on global growth.

A new study from the European Commission reveals that the economic benefits arising from successful Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO) could amount to an increase in world exports of USD359bn on an annual basis from a deal that secures the liberalization of industrial goods, agriculture, services and from the removal of red tape. The report examines the deal currently on the table, and is aimed at providing policy makers with a thorough analytical basis for an informed decision on the importance of a successful DDA agreement.

MOSCOW, Russia -- Just when it seemed that Russia’s way to the World Trade Organization was finally clear, Ukraine and the US Congress have decided to put a spoke in Moscow's wheel.

(Reuters) - The United States must develop new transpacific trade and investment agreements to channel China's huge economic power into a "rules-based" international system that benefits all, a top State Department official said on Monday. As President Barack Obama prepares for two Asia-Pacific summits next week, Undersecretary of State Robert Hormats said the global economic shift toward Asia had highlighted new challenges as Washington's budget crunch prompts questions about U.S. economic and political strength.

A World Trade Organisation (WTO) Working Party has cleared Samoa's bid to join the trade organisation subject to the approval of ministers at the Eight Ministerial Conference scheduled for December 15-17, 2011. Samoa applied for WTO membership on April 15, 1998.

(Reuters) - U.S. goals of establishing regional free trade and an environmental policy at the APEC summit are useful but too ambitious for some developing nations, China said on Monday, days before President Hu Jintao heads to Hawaii for the meeting. APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) members from 20 countries have taken a "fundamentally supportive attitude" of the U.S. proposals for green growth and innovation to be raised at the leaders' meeting in Honolulu from November 12-13, Assistant Foreign Minister Wu Hailong said.

JAKARTA, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom (UK)-ASEAN Business Council (UK-ABC) has been launched to further promote trade and investment between ASEAN and the United Kingdom, a statement released by the ASEAN secretariat said here on Thursday.