10th October 2013
Pacific trade statements need serious decoding
Participants at recent Pacific trade talks issued highly reassuring statements. But their words mask a very different reality - and one attacked by major garment retailers The 21 member countries...
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3rd October 2013
Nepali garment makers want muscle exerting for US duty free access
Nepali garment makers have called on their government to exploit a coordinating role at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to lobby for duty free access to the US at forthcoming...
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24th September 2013
Philippines call time on SAVE lobbying programme – but still hasn’t completed the EU duty free application form
The Philippines has "temporarily" abandoned its bid to get duty-free access for its garments to the United State. Trade Undersecretary Ponciano Manalo claimed on September 23 the country's campaign “is still...
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29th August 2013
Philippine garment industry expects 150,000 extra jobs
As the Philippines finally decided to apply for the EU's duty-free GSP+ concession, the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (Fobap) is seeking P5 mn ($112,000) from the country's government...
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9th August 2013
Confusion over TPP negotiations status as new partnerships bloom
Rumours flew about the status of TPP negotiations after its 18th round of negotiations in July, though optimism about a final draft being agreed by the end of 2013 grew,...
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9th August 2013
Signs of EU-Indian logjam easing as US trade talks start and others still stuck
Some signs emerged in July that nthe logjam in trade talks between India and the EU might finally be getting unstuck, as first trade talks with the US proceeded more...
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9th August 2013
Some observers doubt US trade talks will ever get anywhere
Stories in this edition report reasonable progress in America’s two key trade talks - with the EU and with a group of Pacific nations - which may collectively now cover...
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7th August 2013
US, “uncertain” over Nicaraguan super-concession, backs AGOA extension and lets GSP expire
The US Administration is unconvinced of the need to extend Nicaragua’s Tariff Preference Level (TPL) import duty concession when in expires at the end of 2014, Walter Bastian, America’s Undersecretary...
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7th August 2013
Major buyers’ suppliers among recent Burma openings, though factories remain pessimistic
Suppliers to H&M and M&S are among garment makers who have recently announced setting up in Burma – as current Burmese factories sent out increasingly pessimistic signals and the country’s...
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26th July 2013
Do Vietnamese rights allegations set TPP back by years?
A set of disturbing claims about Vietnamese rights violations by US unions and activists, together with the US Department of Labor blacklisting Vietnam for its use of child labour in...
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25th July 2013
Vietnam – and TPP prospects – hit by fresh rights abuse evidence
As the US blacklisted Vietnam for widespread use of child labour on July 23, US unions and activists launched a widely-based campaign to call off TPP negotiations with Vietnam because...
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9th July 2013
EU import growth goes flat
US apparel imports, measured in square metre equivalents, were 7.7% up on 2012 in May, bringing growth for the year to date to 6.8%, as individual exporters’ growth settled down...
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