Category: Trade

July 08, 2010 (LBO) – The end of a trade deal giving duty free market access to Europe will not be a ‘catastrophe’ though it would squeeze already thin profit margins, an industry official said. A Sukumaran, a clothing exporter who is chairman of the Joint Apparel Association Forum, an industry body, said they were […]

BRUSSELS, July 5, 2010 (AFP) – The European Union decided Monday to withdraw trade concessions in August granted to Sri Lanka after the government failed to make a written commitment to improve its human rights record. Government forces have been accused of a host of rights violations including the indiscriminate killing of thousands of Tamil […]

July 04, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may lose around 500 million US dollars in apparel exports a year, due to the end of trade concessions from the European Union from August, a media report quoting an industry official said. Sri Lanka’s apparel exports to the United States have been declining steadily over the last […]

July 01, 2010 (LBO) – The United States will review trade concessions granted to Sri Lanka under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) affecting 116 million US dollars of goods exported by the island, the US embassy in Colombo said. Other criteria included measures against child labour, and occupational safety and health, work hours, minimum […]

June 24, 2010 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government has rejected conditions imposed by the European Union to extend the GSP Plus trade deal giving exporters duty free access to EU markets, a spokesman said. He said the government wants the GSP Plus to be extended unconditionally. If not the government is ready to look […]

June 22, 2010 (LBO) – The European Union will not unconditionally extend the GSP Plus trade deal giving Sri Lankan exporters duty free access to European markets, the EU Delegation in Colombo said. The EU is ready to extend the GSP Plus deal for a limited period when it is set to end on August […]

June 19, 2010 (LBO) – South Asian countries like Sri Lanka have a common interest in forging a common regional stand in world trade talks, trade experts and economists told a meeting in Colombo. “If formalities are made to delay imports it becomes a trade barrier,” Sen said. He said South Asian countries should get […]

June 18, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka wants to extend economic links with India by signing a new trade agreement once concerns are addressed, 10 years after the first free trade deal was inked with the neighbour, a government minister said. The agreement is also expected come with mutual recognition of standards to prevent health […]

June 15, 2010 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s main opposition United National Party is not opposing an enhanced trade liberalization deal with India, but wants transparency and a parliamentary debate to clear doubts, a lawmaker said. The CEPA deal hopes to build on a 10-year-old existing India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. Over the last decade trade […]

June 12, 2010 (AFP) – Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Dejiang held talks with Sri Lanka’s president Saturday after signing six trade and economic deals, the president’s office said in a statement. Zhang had a breakfast meeting with President Mahinda Rajapakse and the two reviewed ongoing Chinese-assisted infrastructure projects. “Today’s meeting followed the signing of agreements between […]

June 09, 2010 (LBO) – Trade and economic links with Vietnam could grow fast if Hanoi sets up an embassy in Colombo to grease official clearances and visas, Sri Lankan businessmen told a visiting Vietnamese minister. The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce formed a Sri Lanka – Vietnam Business Council Tuesday in the presence of visiting […]

June 08, 2010 (LBO) – A top Sri Lankan exporter which is already doing business in India has backed the signing of a new deal to further open trade between the two countries, building on an existing ten-year-old agreement. However other exporters have had problems, with individual state taxes hitting them even if national import […]