OTTAWA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Canada and the European Union have made formal offers on services and investment in their latest round of trade talks, and Canadian Trade Minister Ed Fast said Thursday that "another milestone" had been reached. "While some issues still need to be resolved, negotiations are now well-advanced, and solutions to them are being actively explored," Fast said in a statement.

Seven years of SA trade negotiations with the EU could be nearing an end with access for agricultural goods set to improve. In negotiations to forge an economic partnership agreement (EPA), the EU has agreed to improve market access for about 80% of the agricultural products SA has asked to be accepted . However, despite agreeing to raise access for 17 out of 20 agricultural products on SA’s list, the EU has yet to budge on wine, sugar and starch. SA is hopeful there will be further movement on these items at the next negotiating round in Lesotho next month.

TBILISI, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Russia and Georgia failed on Thursday to come to an agreement that would pave the way for Russia to join the World Trade Organisation, but the two sides will hold further talks next week, the head of Georgia's trade talks delegation said. Since the WTO, a 153-nation trade body, makes decisions by consensus, Georgia -- a pro-Western NATO aspirant -- has an effective veto over membership for the much larger Russia.

There is still uncertainty surrounding China’s future economic, political and strategic intentions in the Asia Pacific. Recognising a fundamental paradigm shift in the region, then-Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on 4 June 2008 his intention ‘to begin the conversation about where we need to go’ to strengthen regional cooperation in the Asia Pacific via the idea of an Asia Pacific Community (APC).

MELBOURNE, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Australian federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on Thursday urged Australian government to step up free-trade talks with Japan, because it looks easier when compared to China. Australia started free-trade talks with Japan in 2007, two years after the start of discussions with China, and Abbott said Australia should strongly prosecute free trade deals with Japan. "I am all in favor of freer trade with Japan ... and with China, provided it is in Australia's national interest," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

(Reuters) - Trade finance is under pressure from a shortage of dollar-denominated lending and banking regulations that could prompt some lenders to quit the world's least developed markets, trade finance sources said on Tuesday. Their comments followed a meeting hosted by World Trade Organization chief Pascal Lamy. Lamy said the situation was "clearly deteriorating," especially in the Middle East, southern and eastern Europe, and Africa, one of the sources said, on condition of anonymity.

HA NOI — The import duty on cars will be cut by 3-5 per cent from next year if a proposal drafted by the Ministry of Finance is approved. Under the draft, cars with less than 10 seats will be taxed at a new rate of 68-78 per cent as of January 1 instead of the current rate of 72-83 per cent. Tax on small trucks with loads of less than five tonnes will also be cut from 68 per cent to 65 per cent. The taxes imposed on large trucks will remain unchanged under the draft.

(Reuters) - Two U.S. senators urged the Obama administration on Wednesday not to sacrifice Georgia's security and sovereignty concerns in Washington's effort to help Moscow join the World Trade Organization. Russia, after more than 18 years of negotiations, appears to be on the verge of joining the WTO. But it must first reach an agreement with Georgia, with whom it fought a brief war in August 2008, on customs and border issues.

Years of fruitless negotiations to create a free-trade zone among the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) unexpectedly came to a successful conclusion on October 18, when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appeared before journalists in St. Petersburg: "The heads of the delegations have had lengthy discussions today and reached a rather unexpected result," Putin said. "We discussed [a free-trade agreement], made some corrections, and adopted its final text."

The U.S Free Trade Agreement with Colombia will be signed into law within days, according to the U.S President’s senior adviser on Latin America. Dan Restrepo said he did not expect there to be any further barriers or legal confrontations to the passing of the long-stalled agreement, Colombian media reported. He added that the agreement was a fundamental step towards reviving the U.S economy. Although the deal will only come into force next year, Colombian Agriculture Minister Juan Camilo Restrepo has called on sectors of the Colombian economy to begin preparations.