Top officials from 12 Asia-Pacific nations formally kicked off a four-day bid to hammer out a massive but so far elusive free-trade agreement that has been in the works for 6 years. [Reposted from Bloomberg Business  |  Carter Dougherty  |  July 29, 2015] Speaking at the opening plenary of the Trans-Pacific Partnership talks in Hawaii,…

The TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership), TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), and TISA (Trade in Services Agreement) are currently being negotiated behind closed doors all over the world. They all include ISDS a clause that allows a secret global court to arbitrate disputes between multinationals and the countries they operate in. This court meets none…

A dairy farm in Granby, Quebec. Canada is reluctant to open its protected agricultural industry to competition under the Trans-Pacific Partnership WASHINGTON — The top trade negotiators of the United States and 11 other Pacific nations are gathering this week at a luxury resort in Maui for one last push to complete the largest regional…

LAHAINA, Hawaii – Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb on Sunday (July 26) ratcheted up the pressure on Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries to reach a deal at their upcoming ministerial meeting here, saying failure to do so would likely delay an agreement for several years due to elections in the the United States and Canada. [Reposted…

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D., Texas), a critic of the proposed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, discusses his opposition at a news conference in Washington, D.C., in June. PHOTO: LAUREN VICTORIA BURKE/ASSOCIATED PRESS The Obama administration’s push to clinch a sweeping Pacific trade deal this week faces stiff opposition over concerns—ranging from human trafficking to antigay…

  The country has invested billions in Ecuador and elsewhere, using its economic clout to win diplomatic allies and secure natural resources around the world. [ by Clifford Krauss and Keith Bradsher | July 24, 2015 | NY Times ] EL CHACO, Ecuador — Where the Andean foothills dip into the Amazon jungle, nearly 1,000…

The two top U.S. lawmakers for trade policy are fighting for better treatment for financial services firms in a landmark Asia-Pacific free-trade agreement that would clear barriers to digital trade. [Reposted from Bloomberg Business  |  Carter Dougherty  |  July 23, 2015] Representative Pat Tiberi, an Ohio Republican and Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat, raised…

  Trade ministers from the U.S. and 11 other nations from both sides of the Pacific will meet in Hawaii next Tuesday to attempt to finalize what would be the world’s largest regional trade and investment agreement: the Trans-Pacific Partnership. But while the pact has general public support in most of the countries involved, there…

Distinguishing imported from domestic meat is not new. The Tariff Act of 1930 requires labels on imported meat to indicate to the “ultimate purchaser” its country of origin. This explains why imported canned meat and imported ready-to-eat meat has been labeled for as long as most of us can remember. [ by Bill Bullard |…

The U.S. Treasury Department is growing wary that Chinese authorities are empowering themselves with new, broader legal means to prohibit foreign business operations and effectively undermine any concession the Chinese government may make in negotiations for a U.S.-China bilateral investment treaty (BIT). [ July 16, 2015 | Inside U.S. Trade ] China’s draft “Foreign Investment…