Moving Forward
Implementation - putting the FTA into practice
The FTA is all about removing barriers to trade between New Zealand and China to enable businesses from both countries to expand and develop commercial linkages. A partnership between government and business is therefore essential for making the FTA work in practice.
Implementing the NZ-China Free Trade Agreement is based on a whole-of-government approach to maximising the benefits for New Zealand. This is reflected in this website, which includes the full range of government agencies involved in putting the FTA into practice.
New Zealand government agencies held a series of road shows in the main centres of New Zealand in the lead-up to the FTA's entry into force, which focused on explaining the content of the agreement to stakeholders, answering questions, and working with the private sector to build capability for doing business in China.
The implementation process now involves working closely with the Chinese Government in making the provisions of the FTA work effectively. This includes the establishment of a Joint Commission and a number of specific working groups to deal with the key components of the Agreement including goods, services, investment, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, technical barriers to trade and dispute settlement.
First Meeting of New Zealand - China FTA Joint Commission
The first meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Wellington on 19-20 August, 2009. Both sides were represented by a wide range of government agencies.
At the Joint Commission, we noted that FTA implementation was going smoothly, with two rounds of tariff cuts having taken place since entry into force. We also welcomed the increased technical cooperation underway, particularly in the areas of food safety and agriculture. There has been wide-ranging engagement right across the FTA's chapters. The strong performance of two way trade at a time of global economic crisis, reflected in an overall 25% increase, was welcomed.
The Joint Commission addressed issues under each chapter of the FTA. This included discussions on the triggering of the Special Agricultural Safeguards for New Zealand dairy exports in 2009; China's newly-introduced administrative measures for dairy imports; technical issues around the Certificates of Origin; and customs procedures for goods transhipped through third country ports.
The FTA's Committee on the Movement of Natural Persons met concurrently, and discussed the setting of visa fees in each country; transit visas; the temporary employment entry provisions of the FTA; and the Working Holiday Scheme for young Chinese nationals. Two other FTA committees (the Joint Management Committee on SPS issues, and the Joint Committee on TBT issues) also enjoyed productive first meetings earlier in the year.
The next FTA Joint Commission is planned to take place in Beijing in the second half of 2010.
For more information, please email: asia@mfat.govt.nz.
- Page last updated: 21 October 2009
