Prime Minister John Key is trying to drum up enthusiasm for a free trade deal on his visit to the United States. In a speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce overnight in Washington, Key talked up the benefits of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. TPP negotiations started in Melbourne last year, aiming to extend the existing agreement between New Zealand, Brunei, Chile and Singapore to include the US, Australia, Peru and Vietnam.

LONDON, July 22 (Reuters) - Animal welfare groups called on Friday for the European Union to suspend exports of live animals to Turkey, describing as "horrific" the transport conditions they uncovered in an investigation, including dehydration and blistering heat. "We are calling for the European Commission to suspend the export of animals to Turkey as a matter of urgency in order to prevent further suffering by EU animals," said Peter Stevenson, chief policy advisor for Compassion in World Farming.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) warned on Wednesday about the sharp increase in the number of preferential trade deals. Releasing its World Trade 2011 report, the WTO estimated that there were now about 300 preferential agreements in force with dozens more currently being negotiated. But it said that their launch had not lead to an expansion in trade flows. "Interest in negotiating and concluding preferential trade agreements seems not to have waned despite the global economic crisis," WTO director general Pascal Lamy said releasing the report.

HA NOI — The Department of Processing and Trade for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to resume sugar imports in order to avoid rising prices in October and November this year. "Up to the middle of July, domestic manufacturers produced 1.15 million tonnes of sugar, a year-on-year increase of 260,000 tonnes," said deputy head of the department Tran Thi Mieng.

MOSCOW, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Agricultural Ministry on Thursday upgraded its forecast of the grain export to 18 million tons for this agricultural year. The previous forecast made by the ministry was from 15 to 17 million tons. Minister Yelena Skrynnik told a political meeting that the country, which imposed a grain export embargo last year due to harvest loss caused by abnormal drought and heat, would harvest 85 to 90 million tons of crops this year, which fully covered domestic demand on grain and its export potential.

While the South Korean government and the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) are looking for parliamentary approval of the signed South Korea–United States free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) next month, the opposition Democratic Party (DP) is still looking for major changes.

BEIJING, July 21 (Xinhua) -- China has decided to extend existing anti-dumping measures on trichloroethylene (TCE) imported from Russia and Japan for another five years, after concluding that importing the chemical can hurt local manufacturers, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. Revoking the current anti-dumping duties on these products from Russia and Japan would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of material damage to the domestic industry, the MOC said in a statement posted on its website.

The World Trade Organization said on Wednesday it will rule on a Japanese claim that a Canadian province's renewable energy programme flouts international trade law. "A panel was established," a spokesperson from the world trade body said, referring to a team of arbitrators. At the heart of the dispute is the government of Ontario's "feed in tariff" (FIT) programme, which guarantees electricity prices from renewable energy facilities.

VNEconomyNews.com - Rice prices in the Mekong Delta over the last few days have dropped by VND100-300 per kilogram after the Vietnam Food Association decided to halt the purchase of one million tons of summer-autumn rice for stockpiling. One kilogram of long-grained rice has dropped to VND5, 800-6,000 while the low-quality IR50404 rice variety is now reduced to VND5, 500-5,600 per kilogram in several areas like Can Tho City, Soc Trang and Hau Giang Province.

In a joint statement issued after their recent meeting in Singapore, the Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang and the European Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said that they were pleased with the progress being made in negotiations for the proposed Singapore-European Union (EU) free trade agreement (FTA).