India will not join RCEP trade deal in blow to sprawling Asian pact

Yahoo – AFP, Joe Freeman, Jenny VAUGHAN, November 4, 2019

India opted not to join a major Asian trade pact over concerns about market access 
being hindered by cheap Chinese-made goods -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 
and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang are seen here at the summit in Bangkok (AFP Photo/
Manan VATSYAYANA)

India said Monday it would not join a sprawling Asian trade pact, dealing a blow to the China-backed deal at the end of a Bangkok summit held against a backdrop of global growth fears.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was meant to account for 30 percent of global GDP and loop in half of the world's people.

But India dug in over concerns about market access, fearing its domestic industries would be hit hard if the country was flooded by cheap Made-in-China goods.

"We have conveyed to the participating countries that we will not be joining the RCEP," Vijay Thakur Singh, a senior diplomat in charge of East Asia for India's foreign ministry, told reporters.

"Our decision was guided by the impact this agreement will have on the ordinary human beings of India and livelihood of people, including the poorest of the poor," she said.

The 11th-hour pullout comes after days of late-running negotiations at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which closed Monday.

The meeting was dominated by trade issues -- with RCEP front and centre -- backlit by the crippling US-China tariff war.

India's decision is seen as a blow to the deal, which now includes all 10 ASEAN states plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand -- notably excluding the United States.

The remaining members are aiming to sign it next year after reviewing an agreed draft text.

The news came after a full day of meetings at the summit, attended by the leaders of Japan, South Korea, and India, along with China's premier.

Washington did not send top officials to a weekend meeting of the 10-member 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), dispatching Commerce 

Secretary Wilbur Ross (R) and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien (AFP

Photo/Romeo GACAD)

Some leaders pushed back against protectionism amid fears Trump's trade war with China could slow global growth to the lowest rate in a decade, according to an International Monetary Fund prediction.

"We need to protect the free-trade order... and bring the global economy back on track," said South Korean leader Moon Jae-in.

The US-China spat has seen the two sides swap tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods, though they have agreed to roll back some of the measures with a "first phase" deal that could be soon signed.

'Treated generously'

Notably absent from the Bangkok talks were any top US officials -- Washington sent Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien in lieu of President Donald Trump.

That decision raised diplomatic eyebrows and appeared to prompt several Southeast Asian leaders to skip a meeting with US officials on Monday.

Just three leaders from the 10-member ASEAN bloc showed up to the session, along with a host of foreign ministers.

But O'Brien, Trump's special envoy to ASEAN, shrugged off the apparent snub, describing "excellent conversations" with leaders.

"I was treated generously," he told reporters.

O'Brien earlier read a letter from Trump inviting "the leaders of ASEAN to join me in the United States for a special summit" in the first three months of next year.

Trump attended the 2017 summit in Singapore and Vice President Mike Pence attended last year's event in Manila.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has 10 members 

(AFP Photo/John SAEKI)

But the Republican president could not come this year because he was busy with campaign events back home, a senior White House official said.

Trump's administration is accused of retreating from Asia after he pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) -- slated to be the world's largest trade pact before the withdrawal.

The US leader has said he wants to pursue bilateral agreements over free trade accords to narrow trade gaps in the region -- part of his "America First" clarion call.

- Open door -

Thailand handed over the ASEAN chair to Vietnam, where the RCEP deal could finally be signed, after years of gruelling negotiations.

A senior trade diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not budge because he was under domestic pressure.

But the source held out the option that New Delhi could join at a "later date" even after it is signed -- if outstanding issues are resolved.

China's deputy foreign minister Le Yucheng echoed the view.

"Whenever India is ready, it is welcome to get on board," he said before Delhi confirmed its pullout.

Analyst Deborah Elms said the deal shows a commitment to "stabilising trade in the region at a time of growing uncertainty".

But "India will never get a better deal from the members than what they have already managed," said Elms, director of the Asian Trade Centre.

EU and Japan create world's biggest free trade zone

DW, 1 February 2019

Almost all tariffs on trade between the European Union and the world's third-biggest economy have been removed. European companies could save around a billion euros in duties each year.

   

A free trade agreement between Japan and the EU entered into force on February 1, covering 635 million people and almost one-third of the world's economy.

Dubbed the world's largest free trade agreement, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement removes duties on almost all agricultural and industrial products and opens up the service sector and procurement. It also moves to eliminate non-tariff barriers to trade.

The highlights of the deal

• Japan will have scrappped duties on 97 percent of goods imported from the EU once the agreement is fully implemented.
• Open access to the Japanese market will save EU companies from paying €1 billion ($1.14 billion) of duties annually.
• The EU will eliminate tariffs on 99 percent of imports from Japan.
• In the automotive sector, the EU will eliminate duties over a seven-year transition period.
• Both sides will eliminate duties on nearly all food and agricultural products.
• The service market will be opened, including financial services, e-commerce, telecommunications and transport.
• For the first time, the trade agreement includes countries' Paris climate deal commitments.
• The text also addresses sustainable development and sets standards for labor, safety, environmental and consumer protection.

'Protecting brand names'

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said: "This agreement has it all: it scraps tariffs and contributes to the global rulebook, whilst at the same time demonstrating to the world that we both remain convinced by the benefits of open trade."

The president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said: "The new agreement will give consumers greater choice and cheaper prices; it will protect great European products in Japan and vice-versa, such as the Austrian Tiroler Speck or Kobe Beef; it will give small businesses on both sides the chance to branch out to a completely new market; it will save European companies 1 billion euro in duties every year and turbo-boost the trade we already do together."

Trade groups also welcomed the move.

"This agreement is the perfect example that building bridges is better than raising walls," said Pierre Gattaz, president of BusinessEurope. "When protectionism is on the rise, the EU and Japan show to the world they remain open to modern and rules-based trade."

Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation, said the agreement "will stimulate additional growth and create jobs for both sides."

Read more: Japan wants to attract more European travelers

The deal protects 'Geographical Indications' such as Cheddar, Kobe beef and
Scotch whiskey

What is the status of EU-Japan trade?

Japan is the EU’s second-largest trade partner in Asia after China. EU businesses export €58 billion in goods and €28 billion in services to Japan every year. The EU estimates exports to Japan will increase 13 percent, or €13 billion, as a result of the free trade zone.  Japan exports €69 billion in goods and €18 billion in services to the EU annually.

How did we get here and what’s next?

The EU and Japan began negotiations for a free trade agreement in 2013. The European Parliament and Japan’s parliament approved the deal last year after both sides finalized negotiations in December 2017.

EU and Japan are continuing investment protection negotiations and hope to reach an understanding as soon as possible.

China restricts North Korea exports

Yahoo - AFP News, April 5, 2016

Existing UN sanctions ban North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile tests

China on Tuesday imposed restrictions on imports of North Korean coal and iron, Beijing's commerce ministry said, in line with United Nations sanctions on the country following its nuclear and missile tests.

The coal trade between the neighbours was worth $1 billion last year, Chinese Customs figures show, but the announcement allowed for trade to continue if the proceeds were for livelihood purposes.

The move also put in place bans on the import of gold, titanium and rare earth metals from the North, as well as some sales of aviation fuel to it, in line with the UN Security Council measures.

China accounts for more than 90 percent of 

North Korea's $7.61 billion in total trade, 

with the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge 

serving as one of the main border

crossings between the two countries

The council approved the measures in March, in the wake of a fourth atomic test by Pyongyang, and Beijing pledged strictly to implement them.

But the resolution's language -- concluded after seven weeks of hard negotiations between Washington and Beijing -- left significant loopholes for Pyongyang's key economic supporter to continue business as usual.

China is the North's main provider of trade and aid and the text allowed for commerce in certain goods, including coal and iron, to carry on as long as the proceeds did not support Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The UN did not set criteria for making that determination, leaving each country to make its own decision.

The exceptions were mirrored in the text of the statement by China's commerce ministry, which also provided a letter for companies to sign "solemnly" pledging that their imports of the products were "not related to North Korea's nuclear programme or ballistic missile programme".

Aviation fuel sales could also be permitted for humanitarian and some civil aviation purposes.

Trade with China is crucial for the isolated and impoverished North, which has suffered regular food shortages and an outright famine in the mid-1990s.

North Korea exported a $1 billion 

worth of coal to China in 2015

In 2014 China accounted for more than 90 percent of North Korea's $7.61 billion in total trade, according to the latest available figures from South Korea’s state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

Washington has long held that changing North Korea's behaviour depends on China's willingness to use its economic leverage.

But Beijing has resisted targeting Pyongyang's fragile economy for fear of provoking the regime's collapse, potentially leading to a flood of cross-border refugees and ultimately the prospect of US troops stationed on its border in a reunified Korea.

That stance has become harder and harder to maintain, as Pyongyang has continued to defy both the international community and Beijing's efforts to restrain it.

In recent weeks North Korea has repeatedly fired projectiles into the East Sea.

The latest fit of pique followed a meeting last week between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, where they agreed to fully implement sanctions against Pyongyang.

US President Barack Obama (L) speaks during a bilateral meeting with China's 

President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC

The leader was in Washington for a two-day nuclear security summit being hosted by Obama, at which the American president also discussed North Korea's nuclear threat with Japan and South Korea.

Related Article:

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First 'Silk Road' train arrives in Tehran from China

Yahoo – AFP, 15 February 2016

Iranian officials applaud on the platform as the first train connecting China and

Iran arrives at Tehran Railway Station on February 15, 2016 (AFP Photo)

Tehran (AFP) - The first train to connect China and Iran arrived in Tehran on Monday loaded with Chinese goods, reviving the ancient Silk Road, the Iranian railway company said.

The train, carrying 32 containers of commercial products from eastern Zhejiang province, took 14 days to make the 9,500-kilometre (5,900-mile) journey through Kazakstan and Turkmenistan.

"The arrival of this train in less than 14 days is unprecedented," said the head of the Iranian railway company, Mohsen Pourseyed Aqayi.

"The revival of the Silk Road is crucial for the countries on its route," he said at a ceremony at Tehran's rail station attended by the ambassadors of China and Turkmenistan.

The journey was 30 days shorter than the sea voyage from Shanghai to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, according to Aqayi.

The railway will not stop in Tehran "as we are planning to extend the railway to Europe in future," generating more income for Iran from passing trains, he added.

The train will leave every month and the frequency will be increased if necessary, Aqayi said.

The train is run by private companies using existing routes, Iranian railway company spokesman Sadegh Sakari told AFP.

A container on the first train connecting China and Iran pictured upon its arrival

at Tehran Railway Station on February 15, 2016 (AFP Photo)

According to Iranian media, more than a third of Iran's foreign trade is with China, which is Tehran's top customer for oil exports.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed last month to build economic ties worth up to $600 billion within the next 10 years.

It came during a visit to Iran by Xi, the first by a Chinese president in 14 years, and just days after sanctions against Tehran were lifted under a historic nuclear deal with world powers.

Xi's signature foreign policy initiative known as "One Belt One Road" is touted as a revival of ancient Silk Road trade routes.

The Silk Road is an ancient network of commercial land and sea routes, named for the lucrative Chinese silk trade, that were central to business across the Asian continent connecting China to the Mediterranean Sea.

Related Article:

Iran, China vow tighter ties as Xi visits

Yudhoyono to Joko: Don’t Force Indonesia to Enter TPP

Jakarta Globe, Hayat Indriyatno, October 31, 2015

Yudhoyono, whose foreign policy mantra was 'A thousand friends, zero enemies,'
has cautioned Joko to look at the geopolitical consequences of signing up to the
 TPP, which conspicuously leaves out China but includes US ally Japan.
(Antara Photo/Prasetyo Utomo)

Jakarta. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has cautioned his successor against signing up to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, insisting the justifications he gave for refusing to join the trade pact while in office are still valid today.

In a series of tweets sent on Friday, Yudhoyono said President Joko Widodo had every right to commit Indonesia to the US-initiated pact, but warned that “If Indonesia is not ready and is forced to enter the TPP, then our nation will suffer. Such is the ‘law of globalization.’”

The essence of the TPP, he wrote, “is trade and investment liberalization.”

“The TPP is actually a good thing, if all the member states are ready, their interests are accommodated and there are real benefits all parties,” he said.

“But if we’re not ready for it, our market will be flooded with goods and services from other countries, while our exports will fail to be competitive abroad.”

Yudhoyono said his reasons for refusing to sign up to the TPP when he was in office included the fact that Indonesia was preparing for a similar agreement on a Southeast Asian scale: the Asean Economic Community, which comes into force at the end of this year.

He added that Indonesia also needed time to see the benefits from another trade pact, the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement, which saw Jakarta’s trade deficit with China doubling within a year of coming into full force in 2010.

Yudhoyono also pointed out that the three other Asean countries that had signed up to the TPP – Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam – had fundamentally different economic models from Indonesia. “The economies of Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam […] are ‘export-oriented.’ Indonesia is not. We have a large domestic market,” he tweeted.

He said that in order to protect its interests, Indonesia would have to be “tough” in its negotiations – but that the current TPP members had concluded their negotiations on Oct. 5.

Yudhoyono, whose foreign policy mantra was “A thousand friends, zero enemies,” also cautioned Joko to look at the geopolitical consequences of signing up to the TPP, which conspicuously leaves out China but includes US ally Japan.

“Let us ensure that we remain friendly with all our partners, including America, China and Japan,” he wrote. “Let us maintain a free and active foreign policy […] an all-directions foreign policy. Avoid allying with one country and distancing others.

“Let us also ensure that, whichever side we partner with, Indonesia’s national interests will be prioritized above all else.”

He then called on the Indonesian people to help Joko reach an “appropriate and clear decision for the interests of the people and the nation.”

Pastikan Indonesia mendapatkan keuntungan nyata ~ dlm pertumbuhan ekonomi, lapangan kerja & pengurangan kemiskinan. *SBY*

— S. B. Yudhoyono (@SBYudhoyono) October 30, 2015

Joko’s announcement, following a visit to the White House on Monday, that he was committed to signing Indonesia to the TPP has met with concern from the business community and the political establishment alike.

Yudhoyono’s own statements follow his Democratic Party’s warning that Indonesia is not yet ready to face the competition that joining the pact would entail, citing inadequate infrastructure and low public awareness about the TPP and its costs and benefits.

“Are Indonesians and the national economy really ready for this?” asked Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, the former president’s son and a senior member of the Democratic Party.

“How about our domestic infrastructure? Has the government asked for the public’s opinion, especially those involved in the national economy, about the possible impact of the TPP on Indonesia in the future?”

Wrong step

The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), chaired by Joko’s rival in last year’s presidential election, Prabowo Subianto, has also criticized the president’s stance on the TPP.

Fadli Zon, a Gerindra deputy chairman and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, said the TPP would only benefit Indonesia “if we had competitive businesses.”

Without adequate infrastructure and strong supporting education, welfare and legal systems, he warned, Indonesia would only be a “passive player” in the trade agreement.

“It would be a wrong step to join the TPP,” Fadli said on Wednesday.

Economist Lana Soelistianingsih of the University of Indonesia said separately that “Countries with manufacturing-based exports will be able to perform better in this partnership.”

“Our exports are mainly raw materials like oil and gas. If we can we get our commodities into a market like Chile” – which has signed up to the TPP – “can we compete with Brazil, which is much closer to Chile than Indonesia is? That’s the concern,” Lana said on Wednesday.

“How can we improve our manufacturing sector without electricity? It’s not that we should refrain from entering the partnership, but we need a clear blueprint on what products we want to sell, which raw materials we need to manufacture the products, and what kind of infrastructure we need,” she said.

The TPP, forged by the United States and other 11 countries around the Pacific Rim, including Australia and Canada, has a stated goal to “to promote economic growth; support the creation and retention of jobs; enhance innovation, productivity and competitiveness; raise living standards; reduce poverty in our countries; and promote transparency, good governance, and enhanced labor and environmental protections.”

In practice, the biggest impact will be the lowering of trade barriers, including tariffs.

The #TPP - a 12-nation free trade agreement pic.twitter.com/1h82wFRF68

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) November 5, 2015

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Indonesia Wants to Use Yuan for Trades in Asean

Jakarta Globe, 2 August 2015

Jakarta. Indonesia is proposing the use of China's yuan for trade and investment purposes in Asean‎ countries in a bid to counter further impacts from the stronger US dollar against currencies in the region, a minister said on Tuesday.

The 10 members of the Asean region, including Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, mostly use US dollars for international trade. But a strengthening greenback has made imports and servicing debt more expensive, pushing some to consider turning to the yuan.

"We want to push [the use of the yuan] when Indonesia trades with China in particular," Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said at the House of Representatives. "Bank Indonesia is preparing the mechanism so it will be attractive for traders."

Trade Minister Thomas Lembong also brought up the issue on Monday after a meeting with the president.

He said Indonesia should push harder for broader use of the Chinese currency in the region because Asean economies were "much more in tune" with China.

The rupiah traded at an average of 14,700 per US dollar on Monday morning, its weakest point since 1998, according to the counter price at state-owned Bank Rakyat Indonesia. It has lost about 13 percent of its value against the dollar this year.

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"The U in Kundalini"- Oct 18, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Kundalini, Unification, EU, Nobel Peace Prize 2012, Middle East, South America, Only 5 Currencies on Earth, Old Souls, Duality will dismiss, 3D Humanity will melt with Multi dimensional higher self, Global Unity… etc.)

US should rethink Asia strategy as TPP talks break down

Want China Times, Tseng Fu-sheng 2015-08-07

Xi Jinping welcomes Barack Obama to the Great Hall of the People in
Beijing, Nov. 12, 2014. (File photo/Xinhua)

In a significant blow to President Barack Obama's Asia-Pacific strategy, ministerial-level trade negotiators from the United States and 11 other Pacific Rim nations failed to reach final agreement on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) last weekend, while Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has hedged on the TPP recently.

The TPP is a far-reaching framework designed to be the economic arm of the US "pivot to Asia" to encircle and confront China, which has been effectively excluded from the treaty.

Although Congress has granted Obama "fast-track" authority to conclude the TPP, the trade talks failed to reach a final deal by a self-imposed deadline of July 31, signaling Washington's shrinking influence among the negotiators.

Obama's "pivot" or "rebalance" regarding Asia is aimed at bolstering US leadership and its economic and trade interests in the Asia-Pacific, while strengthening the dollar on the back of military might to respond to challenges posed by China's rise.

However, the US has undergone a decline in its reputation and global influence as the result of its financial woes, exacerbated by political infighting and slow economic growth. The breakdown of the trade negotiations is seen as a consequence of old-style protectionism trumping rational economics and a failure by the US to lead internationally.

Failure to conclude the TPP will make the US unable to determine the rules for trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region and might shake the confidence of countries in the Asia-Pacific regarding the reliability of America's security guarantee to them.

While countries in the region are inclined to lean toward China economically and rely on the US for security, they have gradually developed a balance strategy of avoiding clear signs of a tilt toward either the US or China.

Moreover, the political elite in the US has also expressed concern about the decline of the country's global leadership, while most American citizens are lukewarm about US intervention in the affairs of other countries after more than a decade of war in the Middle East.

Some American strategists recently proposed that the administration review its Asia-Pacific policy, saying that if it still attempts to consolidate ties with its regional allies by placing emphasis on military security, economic benefits and common values to counter China's rise, this could cause armed confrontation between the US and China and lead to an arms race between the two countries, while hurting the country's financial situation.

In fact, most nations in Asia think the US should first reinvigorate its own economy, rid itself of its financial plight and develop balanced competitive and cooperative relations with China before it continues to contribute to the international community.

(Tseng Fu-sheng is an adviser on national security issues at the Taipei-based National Policy Foundation. Translated by Want China Times.)

Joko Calls on British Businesses to Diversify in Indonesia as He Meets With PM Cameron

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite & Novy Lumanauw, Jul 27, 2015

British Prime Minister David Cameron, left, with Indonesian President Joko Widodo
 meet at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Monday. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo asked Britain to diversify its businesses in Indonesia and lower import duties for Indonesian products entering the United Kingdom during his bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in Jakarta on Monday.

Joko told Cameron he welcomed Britain’s increased investments in Indonesia, which rose 34 percent last year, but added he wished Indonesia’s fifth largest foreign investor to diversify its range of businesses in the archipelago.

“I want to encourage Britain to diversify its investment in infrastructure development, including [for the construction] of sea ports, toll roads, railways, power plants and the maritime industry. Britain has vast experiences,” said Joko, who has repeatedly invited foreign nations to invest more in Indonesia to support his ambitious infrastructure development projects — including in the maritime sector.

“I also hope that Britain will impose lower import duties for Indonesian products, such as timber, clothing, coffee and fishery products,” he added.

Joko said Indonesia was committed to continually improving its economic partnership with Britain.

The Indonesian president also expressed his wish that Britain would reciprocate Indonesia’s visa-free policy applicable to British visitors.

“We hope that there will be a visa-free facility for Indonesian citizens [going to] Britain. This issue has been discussed during limited meetings,” Joko said.

Cameron in an e-mail interview with the Jakarta Globe on Sunday said his government would offer £1 billion ($1.55 billion) of credit financing for infrastructure projects in Indonesia.

A press statement from the British Embassy in Jakarta said the fund would be made available through Britain’s export guarantee scheme.

“This financing could pave the way for growth of £200 million worth of exports to UK,” the statement says.

It adds that projects “up for grabs” include a sewage treatment system in Jakarta worth £400 million and geothermal power projects worth £66 million.

Moazzam Malik, the British Ambassador for Indonesia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Timor Leste, on Sunday said that Britain was keen to offer Indonesia its vast expertise in a number of areas — specifically in maritime infrastructure development and maritime defense, satellite technology and public-private partnerships to finance infrastructure projects.

Cameron himself told the Globe in the e-mail interview: “The UK shares a common history as a maritime nation and while we may only have hundreds of islands compared to 17,000 here, we do understand the challenges that this presents and we want to share our experience and expertise to help develop this vital sector.”

“We have a wealth of experience in using advanced technology to monitor and manage our national waters and we are also a world leader in developing marine energy.”

The British prime minister is accompanied by a delegation of leaders of 30 prominent British brands in his two-day visit to Jakarta.

Among them are Airbus Group UK president Paul Kahn, Lloyd’s of London chairman John Nelson, Rolls-Royce international director Ann Cormack, Surrey Satellite Technology group executive chairman Martin Sweeting and UK Higher Educational Unit director Vivienne Stern.

Cameron is slated to attend a business forum with the Indonesian business community in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Jakarta is the prime minister’s first stop in his four-day tour of Southeast Asia which will include Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. Cameron had visited Indonesia once before, in 2012 where he met with then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The Southeast Asian tour is Cameron’s first foreign visit outside Europe after his re-election in May.

The British Embassy says the tour is part of the British government’s efforts to increase the country’s exports to £1 trillion a year and to get 100,000 more British companies exporting by 2020.

“The prime minister is taking the first trade mission of the new parliament to a region [Southeast Asia] forecast to grow at 5 percent this year and with potential to unlock huge opportunities for jobs and growth in the UK,” the embassy says in the statement.

It adds that while the focus of the trip is about “opening doors” to future trade, deals worth over £750 million are expected to be sealed by the end of the trip.

On EU-Asean free trade

Aside from boosting bilateral trade, Cameron will also put his weight behind an European Union-Asean deal. He will call for the EU and Asean to jump start negotiations talks on a free trade agreement during his scheduled visit to the Asean secretariat in Jakarta on Monday evening, after the meeting with Joko.

A deal between these two trading blocs has the potential to benefit the British economy by £3 billion every year — nearly £120 per household — “by creating one of the biggest free trade areas in the world with combined GDP of over $20 trillion,” the press statement says.

Speaking ahead of the Southeast Asian tour, Cameron said Britain could open up more markets for its businesses by leveraging the power of the EU’s single market with 500 million consumers to secure “bold, ambitious trade deals with these fastest, growing economies.”

“The EU has shown this can be done with the trade agreement with Singapore and the recent breakthrough in talks with Vietnam but an EU-Asean trade deal would really turbo charge growth across the single market,” the prime minister was quoted as saying in the statement.

He added he would make the case in discussions with Asean Secretary General Le Luong Minh.

Cameron’s call comes as Asean countries prepare to establish an economic community by the end of this year.

The statement from the British Embassy notes that Australia, Japan and China “are already ahead of the game,” having implemented free trade deals with the Southeast Asian bloc.

“As the largest foreign investor in Asean, the EU should seize on this position to secure a new trade deal,”  it says.

To support Britain’s objectives in the region, Cameron has appointed a trade envoy specifically for the Asean Economic Community, Richard Graham.

Graham, who will join the prime minister for talks with Le, will take on the role alongside his existing role as trade envoy to Indonesia.

Joko on his part said Indonesia would restart this year its talks with the EU concerning Indonesia-EU comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

China-N. Korea border trade zone approved

Want China Times, Xinhua 2015-07-14

Pedestrians walking on a street beside the Yalu river in Dandong,
Liaoning province, April 2013. (File photo/CNS)

A border trade zone between China and North Korea, located in northeast China's Liaoning province, has been approved, the provincial government announced on Monday.

According to the city's foreign trade bureau, the Guomenwan border trade zone covers 40,000 square meters of land in the border city of Dandong. It is expected to open in October.

Residents living within 20 kilometers of the border will be able to exchange commodities with people from North Korea and enjoy a duty-free policy on goods purchased for less than 8,000 yuan (US$1,288) per day, authorities with the bureau said.

Dandong is the key hub for trade, investment and tourism between China and North Korea. There are more than 600 border trade enterprises in the city, and trade with North Korea accounts for 40% of the city's total trade turnover.

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Iran, major powers trumpet historic nuclear deal

"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa, Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)

“…  I want you to watch some countries. I don't have a clock [this statement is Kryon telling us that there is no time frame on his side of the veil, only potentials]. I'll just tell you, it's imminent [in Spirit's timing, this could mean as soon as a decade]. I want you to watch some countries carefully for changes. You're going to be seeing changes that are obvious, and some that are not obvious [covert or assumptive]. But the obvious ones you will see sooner than not - Cuba, Korea [North], Iran, of course, and Venezuela. I want you to watch what happens when they start to realize that they don't have any more allies on Earth! Even their brothers who used to support them in their hatred of some are saying, "Well, perhaps not anymore. It doesn't seem to be supporting us anymore." Watch the synchronicities that are occurring. The leaders who have either died or are going to in the next year or so will take with them the old ways. Watch what happens to those who take their place, and remember these meetings where I described these potentials to you. …”