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National's trade policy focuses on China, India, South-East Asia; Will boost 'NZ Inc' Strategy, PM Key says

Rural News
National's trade policy focuses on China, India, South-East Asia; Will boost 'NZ Inc' Strategy, PM Key says

National will boost trade missions to China, India and South-East Asia if it wins the November 26 election, Prime Minister John Key says.

Announcing National's trade policy at a Federated Farmers meeting in Wellington today, Key said a National government would target at least 28 high-quality trade missions led by Ministers over the next three years.

"Experience in Asia and India has shown the strong link between business and political partnerships in these countries," the National Party's trade policy document says.

"National will develop a programme of trade delegations, led by relevant sector Ministers, to undertake a comprehensive agenda of visits to emerging markets in Asia and other key areas."

"China and India will be a priority, but we will also focus and build on the Free Trade Agreement we have with ASEAN to develop the opportunities we have in these markets as we have done in China."

Agriculture policy

National has already said it will review placing agriculture in the Emissions Trading Scheme in 2014, and only include it if new technologies became available to help the sector reduce its carbon emissions, and only then if New Zealand's trading partners had also made progress on climate change policies. See November 9 article: National would phase in ETS obligations for transport, electricity, industrial sectors; Will review Agriculture in 2014, will only put it in if technology to help is there.

National has also already released its primary sector policy (see and compare it here in our party policy - agriculture - section), the staple of which was NZ$400 million earmarked from 2013 onwards to invest in irrigation projects.

(Updates with video of Key on Renminbi & trade)

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13 Comments

Sensible focus developing our Asia connections, and not depending on our European ones

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Yes me...we should become more like our Asian trading partners and foster relationships with other cultures who do not subscribe to free speech and liberty.....provided we can look the other way for money....oh no wait ...! we already do don't we..! well except in the case of ...Frank B....Murmah G...and so on....

 lucky we don't trade too much with Tibetan Tibet...eh

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In the article "Western economies worst in 40 years" (this site) Ralph Waters points out the only growing portion of the world economy is Asia.

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Our Glorious leader john Boy has just got the snot and stormed out of a questions  and answers at the Fed farmers gig.......

said he was going for a cup o tea.....no wait ....because of a cup o tea....no wait...some hot water....oh you'll find out,.... if he doesn't ring the police.

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Rethink economics - PM.

 Combined with our own assessment looking into the worldwide situation, and listening to others - it is finally up to us to judge and decide which scenario we believe in:

 Gerald Celente: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vajyl5uOE70

PM John Key:  http://www.interest.co.nz/rural-news/56753/nationals-trade-policy-focuses-china-india-south-east-asia-will-boost-nz-inc-strate

 Reading the signs of the time, me as a generally positive soul, I personally think our government needs to rethink economics. We are a small, remote country and our export potential is one-sided to agriculture with not much diversity including other sectors. To maintain our relatively good standard of living the government’s megalomaniac and risky economic approach has to go.

Scale down New Zealand http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQqDS9wGsxQ  – otherwise we are just running into more risks, higher deficits and as a consequence another failing society.

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Here you go Walter ...your favorite man under the pump.....and crumbling....

http://www.odt.co.nz/election-2011/latest-news/186796/key-storms-out-press-conference

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..yes Christov - even in that situation he talked a lot and didn't say much. I'm wonder, if people (voters) find out - there isn't much substance.

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"New Zealand has signed a number of free trade agreements lately but this is only useful to low value commodity exporters if the compliance issues are not addressed. Clearly this is aimed at a continuation of the status quo. That is more expansion of commodity exports and no attempt to get a more balanced economy."

http://www.changenz.co.nz/posts/currency-stability-the.aspx 
 

I think Brian is correct.
 

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Free trade or multilateral tariff-less trade is a good thing, however there are many forms of tariff and groupings; for example on a commodity agreement quota is set aside, tariffs are low and all is well from the day the deal is signed.

However on elaborate products subject to manufacturing and product standards the game starts the day the deal is signed, these are referred to as technical barriers. It might surprise many that nearly 4 years since the preferential (not free trade as it is bilateral) trade agreement with China came in to force NZ products still cannot be certified in NZ – from an elaborate product standpoint the deal thus far with China is a farce. The problem does not reside in China.

In regard to the TPP we have some major fish-hooks, the pharmaceuticals industry in the US views Pharmac and the Australian equivalent as something to be attacked, intellectual property and internet copyright spin are run mainly for the music and film industry in the US, and the Japanese agricultural restrictions can teach Europe a thing or two.

With that lot in the mix don’t expect things to happen quickly. More low value agricultural trade Asia and the TPP will not fix what ails the NZ economy.  

www.johnwalley.co.nz

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Christov, not all Asian cultures are anti-liberty and anti- free enterprise.  I spent some time mid-year on a study tour of South Korea which is emerging as a  vibrant modern democracy, unlike the situation in North Korea. There was a demonstration going on in central Seoul over university fees when I was there. And what is the biggest democracy in the world if it's not India? The  reality is that we turn our back on Asia at our own economic peril, surely you can see that if you can get off your high horse?

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Pacific / Asia region is the palce to be. Not only Asia, but I think USA will make a comeback too (I place a lot more faith in the USA than Europe)

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Matt and Me, you both are bang on. Earlier this year I had a business visit to Sth Korea and it is certainly no police state.  I've had dealings in India in the past and it is also has a strong democratic impulse, albeit bureaucratic corruption is common .  But bottom line is that our economic well-being will certainly be tied to Australia and the Asia-Pacific- if old people want their pensions, if schools and hospitals want their funding etc, don't be too quick to knock it, Christov .  Easy to harp on the side-lines, I apreciate that's what sites like this, along with talk-back radio, attract

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