Trade : Trump calls China's Xi to resolve rising trade frictions (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
United States President Donald Trump on 5 June discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping rising trade-related frictions stemming from the seemingly restrictive measures adopted by both countries in different areas, including critical minerals, with Washington announcing a new round of high- level talks to iron out the thorny issues.

WTO : China blocks Canada's panel request over duties on Canadian products (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
China on 5 June blocked a first-time request by Canada for the establishment of a dispute panel at the World Trade Organization to examine the additional import duties imposed by China on certain Canadian agricultural and fishery products following a domestic "anti-discrimination investigation," said people familiar with the development.

Thailand : "Ever-greening" patents - the case of TB drug Bedaquiline (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Penang)
The practice of "ever-greening" patents has always been a "common trick" used by multinational pharmaceutical companies to extend their monopolies, with the case of Bedaquiline, a key drug in treating multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Thailand, being just one such example, according to the Thai Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (TNP+).