News and analysis on trade policy in Europe
Friday, April 25, 2025
The big news for trade policy in the region is Indonesia’s decision to apply for the CPTPP, joining a long queue of applicants. The United Arab Emirates’ trailblazing deal-making in recent years has reached a new high, with agreements with Australia and New Zealand just concluded, and new negotiations launched …
Our Asia Trade column resumes this week, tracking trade deals that key Asia-Pacific players clinch across the world in a time of heightened geopolitical competition. This week’s column highlights key developments in a quiet August: China and Belarus inked a services agreement, and Korea and Paraguay signed an MOU on …
This week in the Asia-Pacific: Korea and Thailand are negotiating their own bilateral trade accord.
Deals were inked in Asia this week: A sustainability agreement between Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Switzerland and Taiwan and Thailand upgraded their investment agreement.
This week in Asian trade policy: South Korea’s president toured Central Asia and signed deals on critical mineral supply chains. Sri Lanka and Malaysia agreed to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement – and Japan and Chile upgraded cooperation on mineral resources.
This week in Asian trade policy news: South Korea, Japan and China agreed to speed up discussions for a potential trilateral free trade agreement and Indonesia announced its plan to apply for membership to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Western democracies – as in the G7 – more outspokenly express support Taiwan’s right to participate in the international community than in the past amidst Beijing’s growing assertiveness. Yet in the trade and investment policy field concrete action from CPTPP members or the EU is missing.
With Australia’s ratification this week of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade deal is now set to kick in next month. The accord, which will provide freer trade and investment access among its 11 members and link up markets with a combined gross domestic product of $13.4 trillion, …
