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Administration Pushes Ahead On Export Control Reform In Face Of Fatigue administration officials hope to complete an important phase of the export control reform initiative within the next 12 months by easing controls on tens of thousands of munitions items and technologies, even as industry sources complain of fatigue with the lengthy liberalization process, which has yet to provide any short-term deliverables and could still ultimately be torpedoed by opposition in Congress.

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1. Obama Expresses Impatience With China's Trade, Currency Practices.

2. Canadian Wheat Board Sues Government For Attempting To Dissolve Monopoly.

3. Bryson To Meet With U.S. Businesses In China Before Co-Chairing JCCT With Kirk.

U.S Officials Discuss Beef Market Access, Traceability Rule with Chinese Obama administration officials last month reopened stalled talks with Chinese authorities aimed at easing Beijing's restrictions on imports of U.S. beef and beef products, but so far the two sides have not yet scheduled a follow-up meeting at the technical level, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) spokeswoman.

                           FTA Central

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1. Chinese Commerce Minister Touts Success Of   FTA With ASEAN.

2. Noda Marks Progress On TPP, Energy, And Trade Barriers As Major APEC Accomplishments.

3. Canadian Dairy Farmers Stress Importance of Maintaining Supply Management In Wake Of TPP Announcement.

USTR Tables Labor Proposal in TPP Talks, But Leaves Key Areas Blank. The United States last week tabled a long-awaited proposed text on labor rights in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, but the partial text contains holes in several key areas. As last week was the first time negotiators had a chance to discuss the proposal, the talks were very preliminary in nature, sources said.

Japanese PM Works To Gain Support For Joining TPP Ahead Of APEC
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is working to convince members of his cabinet and political party that Japan should seek to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations so that he can make an announcement to that effect at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit, a Japanese official said.

World Trade Organization

Finance, Ways And Means Leaders Set Markers For Russia WTO Vote
Leaders of the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees this week signaled to the administration that a vote on Russia's permanent most favored nation (MFN) is still a long-term prospect and can only come after the administration ensures progress in four areas of "significant consideration" for Congress.

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1. WTO Releases Provisional Agenda For December Ministerial Bidden Holds Call With Georgian President Welcoming Agreement With Russia.

2. Judiciary Committee Leaders Criticize 'Gaps' And 'Lapses' In Russia's IPR Protection.

 3. WTO TBT Committee Discusses Australian Tobacco Law, China Review Mechanism.

Russia Accepts Swiss-Mediated Deal with Georgia for WTO Accession Russian negotiators in Geneva this week accepted a Swiss-mediated deal that would lift Georgia's objections to Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, according to Georgian Ambassador to the WTO Zurab Tchiaberashvili and Russian state media.