FREE TRADE – GOVERNMENT POLICY – AUSTRALIA

Race against time to wrap up China FTA

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Original article by Rowan Callick
The Australian – Page: 17 : 20-Oct-14

Chinese President Xi Jinping will in November 2014 travel to Brisbane to attend the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit. The Australian Government aims to finalise a free-trade agreement with China by that date, and insiders say that only six of the 20 issues in the document still require more talks. The Minister-Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Chinese embassy, Huang Rengang, says Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce is correct in scaling back expectations for the nation to become "Asia’s food bowl". Huang also notes that trade between the two countries grew 19% year-on-year during the first three quarters of calendar 2014

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS, WORLD BANK, PORT OF MELBOURNE CORPORATION PTY LTD, SHENHUA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED – ASX SHU

Speed-up plan for Japan deal

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Original article by Greg Earl, Peter Ker
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 14-Oct-14

The free trade agreement between Australia and Japan was slated to begin on 1 April 2015. Both nations are keen for the trade deal to begin earlier, possibly in February. This could result in the tariff on beef exports being reduced on the starting date for the deal and again at the beginning of Japan’s financial year on 1 April. Japan is the biggest export market for Australian beef

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AUSTRALIA-JAPAN BUSINESS CO-OPERATION COMMITTEE

Confidence grows for China trade pact

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Original article by Sid Maher, David Crowe
The Australian – Page: 4 : 15-Sep-14

A free trade agreement between China and Australia may be signed by the end of 2014. There was good progress at negotiations in early September, but a number of issues must still be finalised. However, Australian Trade Minister Andrew Robb said that both sides are politically motivated to conclude the agreement

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, PEOPLE’S BANK OF CHINA, NATIONAL FARMERS’ FEDERATION LIMITED

‘Murky’ barriers must be cleared

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Original article by Annabel Hepworth
The Australian – Page: 19 : 16-Jul-14

Andrew Mackenzie, CEO of BHP Billiton, is also the co-ordinating chair of the trade taskforce at the Business 20 (B20) forum that flanks the Group of 20 (G20) summit later in 2014. He has called on the Australian Government to put trade barriers on the agenda for the G20, during its presidency of the body. A B20 gathering is being held in Sydney in mid-July 2014, ahead of a G20 trade ministers’ meeting. Mackenzie has commented that in the last seven years, 1,500-plus new trade impediments that are not tariffs have been created

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BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, BUSINESS 20 (B20), GROUP OF TWENTY (G-20), AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF AGRICULTURE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INDUSTRY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Finance, unis big winners

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Original article by Jacob Greber, Fleur Anderson, Greg Earl, Matthew Cranston
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 4 : 9-Jul-14

A new economic partnership agreement (EPA) has been struck between Australia and Japan. Apart from the automobile and agricultural sectors in Japan and Australia respectively, the main winners will be sections of the Australian services industry. The Japanese Government will open this area to Australian educational, legal and financial services providers. Business leader Sir Rod Eddington has welcomed the focus on services. He also warned that investment by Japanese parties will require a stable political and regulatory environment in Australia, but dismissed fears the deal may harm the relationship with China

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AUSTRALIAN SERVICES ROUNDTABLE, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, INFRASTRUCTURE AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, FINANCIAL SERVICES COUNCIL

Japan visit will mark new era

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The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 2-Jul-14

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Australia and hold talks with Prime Minister Tony Abbott on 8 July 2014. During the official visit a new free trade agreement will be ratified that had been finalised in April. There will also be closer military ties between the two nations, including a deal to share defence technology. Abe will travel on to look at iron ore mining operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The last Japanese prime minister to come to Australia had been Junichiro Koizumi in 2002

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AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET. OFFICE OF NATIONAL SECURITY, EAST ASIAN SUMMIT, ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF DEFENCE. DEFENCE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANISATION, WESTERN AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET