(Reuters) - Russia will not withdraw its financial support to the agricultural sector even after the country enters the World Trade Organisation (WTO), President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday. Medvedev also said Russia retains the rights to increase import duties on some products to help farmers. "We are not talking about any restrictions on state support of agricultural producers after (Russia's) accession to WTO, " Medvedev told a meeting on crops and grain markets. July 25, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino exporters are encouraged to take advantage of reduced tariffs under the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) to increase their exports of goods and services to Australia, the world’s 13th largest economy. Ross Bray, senior trade and investment commissioner for the Philippines, said tariff rates for all exports to Australia as well as New Zealand fell to zero since AANZFTA came into effect in 2010.

Viet Nam tra fish exports were worth US$828.6 million in the first half of this year, the Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters has reported. It represents an increase of 27 per cent year-on-year, while volume was up 4.9 per cent. The average export price in June was $2.79 a kilogramme compared to $2.15 a year earlier. Exports to the US have rocketed this year, nearly doubling to more than $118 million by June 15.

Vietnam’s rice exports to some African countries grew strongly last month but exports to ASEAN countries fell significantly. According to Vietnam Customs, the nation in June shipped 120,000 tons of rice to Senegal, five times higher than in May. Exports to Ivory Coast reached 64,000 tons, earning US$31.3 million, up almost ten times in volume and 11 times in value, while in Ghana they reached 20,100 tons and US$10.6 million, up 100% in volume and 104% in value. Most of the shipments to Africa were low grade broken rice at an average of US$413 per ton.

The Ministry of Commerce on Friday announced that the country has made an appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to conduct a review of the zeroing measure used by the United States in slapping anti-dumping duties on diamond saw blades from China. According to a statement on the ministry's website, the country has made the request following its previous complaint to the WTO in February for a similar measure used by the United States in calculating dumping margins for certain frozen, warm-water shrimp from China.

Vietnam’s first-half trade with Asia, especially Southeast Asian countries and China, expanded a staggering 33% year-on-year to US$61.7 billion but had a whopping trade deficit with Asia. Vietnam Customs figures released on Wednesday show Vietnam’s shipments to Asian countries amounted to US$29.1 billion, up 40% from a year ago while its imports from those markets grew 30% to US$39.8 billion. This left a trade deficit of US$10.7 billion.

Vietnam’s exports to Mexico reached over US$373 million in the first five months of this year, representing a year-on-year rise of 30 percent, said the Trade Office of the Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico on July 21. During this period, Vietnam’s imports from Mexico dropped 35 percent to US$22.6 million.

VNEconomyNews.com - Le Tien Truong, Chairman of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) told Tuoi Tre in an interview Vinatex plans to raise US$1.4 billion for expansion in the next decade. Truong said Vinatex would try to mobilize loans and investments from financial institutions and strategic investors in addition to its own capital to fund the expansion, which will be its largest expansion plan ever.

SEOUL, July 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's imports of leisure products jumped 26.8 percent in the first half of this year due to stronger demand for camping and outside family activities, the customs office said Friday. Imports of leisure products reached 198 million U.S. dollars during the January-June period, up 26.8 percent from a year earlier, the Korea Customs Service (KCS) said in a statement. The import expansion was mainly attributable to rising income levels and growing demand for camping and other family activities, according to the KCS.

BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) announced Friday that the anti-dumping measures against PBT resin imported from Japan and Taiwan to China's mainland will be ended as of July 22. The ministry announced on January 22 that it planned to end the anti-dumping measures on July 22, and it said that industrial representatives and organizations in China could file applications to it for a reexamination of the imports. The statement said the ministry had received no applications, and the anti-dumping measures had come to an end.