March 19 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and Brazil signed a trade and economic cooperation agreement to boost commerce between the Western Hemisphere’s largest economies as President Barack Obama arrived for his first visit to South America. The accord creates a U.S.-Brazil commission to expand trade and remove non-tariff barriers, according to a statement today from U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk’s office. The commission will be led by Kirk’s office and by officials from two Brazilian ministries responsible for trade, industry and development.

A second round of talks is due to be held in April between Russia and Georgia, mediated by Switzerland, concerning Russia's entry to the World Trade Organisation. Harsh words have been exchanged between representatives of the two countries in the aftermath of the first round on March 10.

Denmark can share its latest technologies and experiences in training workers and enhancing corporate social responsibility with Vietnam to boost trade relations between the two countries. The statement was made by the Danish Ambassador to Vietnam , John Nielsen, at a press conference in Hanoi on March 18 to inform about the planned activities of three separate Danish business delegations, which will visit Vietnam from March 28 to April 2, 2011.

WASHINGTON -- A U.S. panel on Tuesday voted to continue import duties on shrimp from Thailand, China, Vietnam, India and Brazil for five more years in a victory for U.S. shrimpers hurt by last year's BP oil spill. The U.S. International Trade Commission, by a vote of 5-1, said it believed revoking the anti-dumping order would open the door for the five countries to resume selling frozen shrimp in the U.S. market at unfairly low prices.

The ceiling export price of Vietnamese rice will be reduced by US$20 per tonne from March 20 in line with a reduction in world prices caused by increased supplies. The price cut was announced by the Viet Nam Food Association, which said the price would fall from $500 to $480 a tonne for 5 per cent broken rice and from $480 to $460 a tonne for 25 per cent broken rice. This was the second reduction this month in the ceiling price of export rice. The first was on March 12 when the ceiling price fell by $10-20.

Chennai, Mar 18 (PTI) UK today said it hopes that the on-going negotiations on signing a Free Trade Agreement between European Union and India would be completed successfully to the mutual benefit of all. "United Kingdom is hopeful that this would be completed because a successful FTA is in the interest of India and the UK..Such multi-lateral negotiations are not easy but it should be a win-win situation for every country," UK Trade and Investment Minister Stephen Green, who is on a week-long visit to India, told reporters here.

The March 11 reversal by the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization of key parts of a dispute panel ruling involving the simultaneous application of countervailing duties and antidumping duties by the United States on imports from China is "as bad as it could be" for the United States and undermine U.S support for the WTO, according to a lawyer close to U.S. petitioners. The AB reversed the original panel decision on two crucial points, according to sources close to the U.S. domestic industry and to China.

A ruling against Washington is good for the U.S. and good for world trade.Amid all the bad news in the U.S.-China trading relationship, a recent World Trade Organization ruling comes as a breath of fresh air. An appellate panel in Geneva has sent Washington back to the drawing board with regard to a particularly unfair bit of trade "enforcement." In the process it has set down an important marker with implications for other areas of global trade law.

The World Trade Organization (WTO), in a surprise decision, has upheld China’s appeal that the United States could not apply both antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) measures to a range of Chinese imports.

Washington, Mar 15 (PTI) Asserting that the United States is engaged in trying to pursue an ambitious agreement for the Doha Round, a top White House official on Monday hoped that major trading partners like China, India and Brazil will help successfully conclude the Doha round of trade negotiations.