Asia & Pacific


Bilateral deal-making involving governments of Asia and the Pacific region.


Indo-Pacific Economic Framework: Business recommendations
The American business community's suggested points for inclusion in the US administration’s proposed alternative to the CPTPP, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The US doesn’t need CPTPP to assert itself in the Asia-Pacific
Trade deals are important, but they are neither necessary nor sufficient for American foreign policy to prevail in the Asia-Pacific region.
Singapore, Pacific Alliance countries sign trade agreement
Singapore has signed a free trade agreement with the Pacific Alliance - made up of Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile - those governments said on Wednesday, in a deal they said would facilitate trade and closer ties with Asia.
Australia urges US to push back on ‘digital authoritarianism’
The Morrison government is pushing the Biden administration to strike a digital free trade agreement with democracies across the Indo-Pacific in a bid to counter China’s “digital authoritarianism”.
US will not join regional trade pact CPTPP, but pursue specific tie-ups with allies: Gina Raimondo
The United States will not join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership now for various reasons, but it is pursuing other partnerships with its allies in specific areas.
Cabinet okays Asean-Canada FTA framework
The cabinet yesterday approved the negotiation framework for the Asean-Canada free trade agreement (FTA), hoping the pact will help open a gateway for Thailand into North America.
The US appears poised to pursue a digital trade agreement in Asia – What does that mean?
Momentum is building for the United States to pursue a plurilateral digital trade agreement (or possibly a series of bilateral agreements) with trading partners in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Asia-Pacific’s free trade disagreements
It’s not just the different agreements, per se – the distinctly different models of FTAs are complicating trade regimes in the region.
The Asia-Pacific’s Free Trade Disagreements
While competition among FTA styles can drive innovation, it does present a key problem for non-super-sized economies: knowing which one to adhere to. For all the new ideas they offer, the various deals available within the Asia-Pacific are often inconsistent and cannot exist comfortably side by side.
The people of Asia against free trade: “society endures the trauma of debt”
The struggle against free trade has been strategic for social movements, especially La Via Campesina, which has actually built a proposal for food sovereignty to counter the capitalist free trade model for agriculture.