In Lesotho, trade ministers from the world’s poor countries are meeting over the next three days to discuss moves to liberalize trade. Poor and rich nations have been at odds over such things as agricultural subsidies and tariffs. The NGO ActionAid is criticizing past efforts at liberalization, saying they have cost sub-Saharan African countries hundreds of millions of dollars.

The European Union (EU) and China have agreed to liberalize their bilateral textile trade in 2008, it was announced Wednesday. This was one of 12 agreements reached during the trade talks between Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai and EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on Tuesday, according to a press release issued by Bo's delegation.

The head of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, says nations are closing the gaps in negotiations aimed at concluding the Doha Development Round of global trade talks. But Lamy says they are moving too slowly to meet a self-imposed deadline for concluding a deal by the end of the year.

Southeast Asian nations and the European Union have agreed to start free trade talks, and a leading U.S. semiconductor maker says it will invest $1 billion in the Philippines. Claudia Blume at VOA's Asia News Center has more on these and other business stories from the region.

As the latest World Trade Organization round of talks loses momentum, bilateral and regional free trade agreements are mushrooming in Asia. Claudia Blume reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.

Ministers from six key economies failed to clinch a world trade liberalization deal Thursday, but, after a meeting in New Delhi, have proposed a new deadline to complete the negotiations. VOA's Steve Herman reports from New Delhi.

The push for a trade liberalization deal between the United States and South Korea is going down to the wire. Negotiators extended their deadline to hammer out sensitive issues to produce a deal before a crucial legislative deadline.