After several months of acrimonious debate and failed negotiations, international trade representatives officially suspended the Doha round of free trade talks, marking a major setback to efforts to reduce trade barriers throughout the globe.
When Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the White House last week, among other things, President Bush urged Hu to cooperate with the U.S. government in its effort to end the ongoing crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.
Trade ministers from 149 nations concluded talks in Hong Kong with a deal on eliminating farm export subsidies by 2013 but without agreements on reducing trade barriers for agricultural and industrial products.
Leaders from China, Japan and South Korea signed a landmark pact with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Laos Monday aimed at developing the world's largest free trade area by 2010.
Trade ministers from across the Americas papered over differences and concluded their meeting one day early after drafting an outline for future talks aimed at creating the world's largest free trade bloc.
House and Senate negotiators agreed Thursday night to give President Bush "fast track" authority in trade negotiations, which would allow him to strike international trade agreements that Congress could vote up or down, but not modify.
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