According to the latest unemployment report, American manufacturers added 24,000 jobs last month. But in Skowhegan, Maine, more than 300 manufacturing jobs could be on the line, as they face stiff competition from overseas. CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason reports that the looming trade agreement between the U.S. and several South Asian countries could unbalance an iconic American product. Skip Bowman knows his company, New Balance, would make more money if it shut down the plant and moved his job overseas.

BEIJING, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's anti-dumping tax on potato starch imported from the European Union (EU) may expire on Feb. 6 next year, said the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Saturday. But domestic producers could request for review on ending the tax 60 days before Feb. 6 next year, said a notice on the MOC website. The anti-dumping measure, effective on Feb. 6, 2007, requires importers to pay a tax of 17 to 35 percent to Chinese customs. August 6, 2011 Source: Xinhua News

Taipei, Aug. 5, 2011 (CENS)—After negotiating with Singapore on economic partnership, Taiwan now studies similar talks with Indonesia to sign free trade agreement (FTA) to be member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Taiwan-Singapore talks focused on tariffs, opening of the service sector and economic partnerships, after having held such negotiations with the Philippines and India.

MOSCOW, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russia may lift its ban on fresh vegetable imports from all European Union (EU) states on Monday if no new cases of E. coli infection are reported, health officials said Friday. Russia banned vegetable imports from the EU in early June following an outbreak of a highly virulent strain of the E. coli bacteria that has killed some 40 people in Europe.

TOKYO, Aug 5 (Xinhua) -- The value of Japan's exports fell 3.4 percent in the first 20 days of July, according to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

Aug 4 (Reuters) - Russia's chances of joining the World Trade Organisation this year are high but its accession still faces political obstacles from Georgia, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. He accused Georgia, which has threatened to veto Russia's accession in a dispute over customs controls, of using the WTO entry process to revive political problems but said Russia would not get involved in "immoral" barter to secure its accession.

SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korea welcomed Thursday an agreement among U.S. Congressional leaders to take up next month an outstanding trade deal between the two countries, originally signed in 2007. Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell said in a joint statement Wednesday they have agreed upon a "path forward" to pass three separate trade bills, including a Seoul-Washington free trade agreement. "We welcome the expression of the will (to pass the deal)," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Lima (ANDINA). Peru’s new Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Jose Luis Silva said Monday he will push negotiations on a number of pending and prospective free trade agreements (FTA). The Peruvian government plans to complete trade talks with Central American countries and nations that rim the Pacific Ocean (Trans-Pacific Partnership), Silva said. "In the case of Central America, Peru has already signed an FTA with Panama and Costa Rica; while it is still in talks with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras," he stated.

It has been confirmed that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Japan and India, which was signed on February 16 this year in Tokyo, entered into force on August 1, after completion of the necessary legal procedures in both countries. The first meeting of the Joint Committee established under the CEPA was held on the same date in New Delhi. It made decisions necessary for CEPA's implementation.

TEHRAN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's ambassador to Turkey Bahman Hosseinpour said the total value of Iran-Turkey trade exceeded 7 billion U.S. dollars during the first five months of 2011, the English-language Tehran Times daily reported Thursday. Given the 80-percent growth in trade between the two countries, it is expected that the bilateral trade will go over 13 billion U. S. dollars by the year's end, Hosseinpour was quoted as saying on Wednesday.