Although it is tempting to rely on services to bring the Philippine economy to First World status (OFWs, IT-BPM, tourism, etc.), the hard evidence from the history of industrialization, as we have seen in the last article, should convince us to persevere in our efforts to develop a strong manufacturing sector which should employ at least 16% to 18% of our labor force. There is some glimmer of hope that shows that this goal is within reach if we capitalize on some ongoing trends.

Canada - a major trading partner of Vietnam - is making many changes in its trade defense investigation regulations, which has a significant impact on Vietnam's export activities.

China has moved forward with a complaint at the World Trade Organization that alleges the European Union has improperly set anti-subsidy tariffs on new Chinese-made electric vehicles.

An expansion of the current free trade agreement (FTA) between Türkiye and the United Kingdom will widen the reach of Turkish agricultural products in the British market, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said on Tuesday.

Although the import and export turnover of goods slowed down in September 2024, in general, import and export activities, especially exports, still grew positively in the first 9 months of 2024. It is expected that import and export of goods in 2024 will reach a record of 800 billion USD.

China is the largest export market for Vietnamese agricultural products and fruits. With increasing demand, exporting agricultural products by rail to this billion-people market is a potential and promising direction.

Iran's Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mohammad Atabak said a free trade agreement with Pakistan has been finalized and the list of commodity items subject to the agreement will be prepared and released in two months.

The Namdong National Industrial Complex in the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Incheon city on November 4 announced the establishment of a 15-company market research group to support local small and medium-sized cosmetics firms to break into Vietnam, one of the most dynamic markets in ASEAN.

South Korea and Vietnam held talks Wednesday to discuss ways to ease trade disputes and expand cooperation between the two nations, the industry ministry said.

Thai rice exporters are bracing for increased competition as India's decision to lift its export restrictions threatens to drive down global prices, the Rice Exporters Association of Thailand has warned.