Trade

Samoa has become the first Forum Island Country to ratify the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) Trade in Services (TIS) Protocol.

PORT MORESBY, PNG (THE NATIONAL) ---- Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says there are good opportunities along the border areas to develop relations between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, particularly at Wutung, West Sepik

FUNAFUTI, Tuvalu (UNDP) --- Tuvalu is looking to trade to achieve some of its key development objectives, including alleviating poverty. The Tuvalu Government is seeking to achieve this through the Trade Capacity Building and Institution Strengthening project, launched today. The project will assist the Department of Trade, the private sector ...

We had sought an update on PACER Plus negotiations from Dr Edwini Kessie, the Chief Trade Adviser for Pacific Islands Forum Countries based in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Reprinted below are his responses to questions put forward by ISLANDS BUSINESS.

The renewed sense of optimism surrounding the start of PACER Plus negotiations between the Pacific Islands Forum Countries and Australia and New Zealand reportedly suffered a bit of a setback at their last inter-sessional negotiation session last month.

New Caledonia’s nickel industry is being transformed as new joint ventures and exports to Asia challenge France’s control of the strategic minerals sector.

Last month, Sir Mekere Morauta launched a new website, calling for public submissions into his review of the Pacific Plan. Over the next eight months, the former Papua New Guinea Prime Minister will lead a team around the region to look at the plan, which is supposed to set priorities ...

So the PACP (Pacific group of the African, Caribbean, Pacific group of states) leaders have spoken. They have made their point loud and clear: They’ve had enough of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). They want Fiji back into the PACP fold. Plus, they want to handle all EPA (a ...

Pacific kava exporters are crying foul over yet another setback to the kava export industry—a delay in united efforts to have kava declared a safe food item internationally.

A survey of trade within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) member countries under the MSG Trade Agreement (MSGTA) had revealed a sharp increase since 2005, although there is still a heavy reliance on Australia and New Zealand.

On September 27, the EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states turned 10.

There is an unmistakable push by Papua New Guinea into neighbouring economies in the Pacific region to invest and operate businesses there.

For the regional trade agreement known as PACER-Plus, the parallel push to conclude negotiations on the European Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) by the end of 2012 hold fundamental lessons.

Even if the EU continues to insist that its concept of economic partnership agreements (EPAs) was and is the right one, and ACP countries continue to repeat their commitment to a development friendly outcome, after 10 years of negotiations, it can no longer be denied that the EPA negotiations are ...

Fairtrade certification of sugar cane in Vanua Levu, Fiji, is producing significant economic benefits, according to a new study by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).

Exports of premium Pacific islands beer will soon hit the bars in Australia and New Zealand as Coca Cola Amatil (CCA) diversifies into beer.

Geopolitical groupings all over the world—more so groupings of developing countries that are funded by nations of the developed world—find themselves caught up in an escalating state of flux as strong winds of change blowing from different directions begin to disturb the long established status quo.

If the mana in kava still packs a punch, it is sorely needed. The Pacific’s kava producing nations are engaged in yet another rescue mission to save once and for all the reputation of this commodity.

For many months now the Pacific has been waiting, just waiting for the EU to finally respond to its proposals for ending the EPA negotiations.

A free-trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand and the independent Pacific islands gained momentum at meetings in the Marshall Islands in mid-May, said Australian Parliamentary Secretary for the Pacific Richard Marles at the wrap up of the Forum Trade Ministers’ Meeting.

Forget China. The next best thing, if you want a new market brimming with more opportunities than you can swallow, is much closer to home than you think.

As the incoming Chief Trade Adviser (CTA) for Pacific Islands Countries, Dr Edwini Kessie has his job cut out for him. When he takes his leave from the Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division of the World Trade Organisation in Geneva to join the Office of the CTA in Port ...

How can the Pacific region’s agriculture and forestry industries access the booming Chinese economy and its growing need for food and timber?

As Pacific members of the ACP group scramble to finalise their economic partnership agreement with the Europeans, scepticism is mounting over the ability of the islands to negotiate in solidarity as one single bloc.

If there is one best kept secret in the region, it is the appointment of the new chief trade adviser (CTA) to replace Dr Chris Noonan at the Office of the Chief Adviser (OCTA).

Ten years of negotiations with the European Union for an economic partnership agreement and the Pacific members of the ACP group still haven’t got a permanent deal.

ACP–EU relations have been in existence for quite a while but what great gains has it achieved, for at least one of its small islands member in the Pacific, Palau, asks its former Vice President, Sandra Pierantozzi.

I bought a banana in Canberra last weekend. The one single banana cost me two Australian dollars. For the same money, I bought two dozen sweet bananas in Honiara (the Solomon Islands) a month ago.