Prime Minister John Key will lead a major business delegation to China early next week, and hold talks with President Xi Jinping.
«There’s a lot of financial benefit for New Zealand if we can get an upgrade. We also have a sense, at least, that Australia’s FTA might be a bit better and we’ve been talking about this issue for some time,» Key said.
A «most favoured nation» clause written into the agreement with China eight years ago, was to ensure New Zealand investors remained no worse off than investors of any other countries.
Key said he believed China acknowledged the clause, but he had not directly asked them that question.
Non tariff barriers to trade were an «evolving process».
«In my experience of these things they don’t happen instantly, but we’ve made good progress for instance, in the work we’ve been doing with Apec and [its business advisory council].
«With China, we continue to talk to them about how we can get the smoother transition of goods across the border. So we are proactively working together at an officials level and you can see that with the number of times (Chinese border control agency) AQSIQ come to New Zealand,» Key said.
The Government said it was looking into the issue, after New Zealand’s forestry industry accused China of acting outside the spirit of the FTA last month.
The relationship between New Zealand and China had «broadened» since the FTA was signed, Key said.
«In the first instance in recent times you’d probably say it’s been an economic relationship. But actually, now we work together on the provision of aid programmes as we did in the Cook Islands.
«We have defence sharing arrangements and training, where I think they’ll be send a ship down for the 75th anniversary of the navy.»
Both Governments were also in discussion over issues surrounding those accused by Chinese authorities of economic crimes, including one in New Zealand alleged to have stolen $130 million.
The Chinese Government had a long list of Chinese nationals it wanted extradited back to face charges. New Zealand had so far declined requests for an extradition treaty with China, due to its enactment of the death penalty.
Key said he expected that and other ongoing extradition issues to also be discussed.
The case of Korean man Kyung Yup Kim, 40, for whom Justice Minister Amy Adams had signed off on his extradition to China to face murder charges, was still going through the courts.
Kim has been in jail for 4½ years fighting attempts to have him sent to China to face trial on a charge of killing a woman in Shanghai in December 2009.
He says he is not guilty, but if sent back, would likely face torture. China has promised that, if found guilty, Kim would not be executed, but earlier this year his lawyer Tony Ellis said China had broken similar undertakings to foreign governments before.
New Zealand man Peter Gardner is expected to receive a verdict from the Chinese justice system soon, after being allegedly caught trying to leave China with $25 million of methamphetamine.
Key would be joined by Trade Minister Todd McClay and Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, as well as major business leaders when he visits Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an.
The Prime Minister would also be meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and in his first visit to Xi’an – where the famed terracotta warriors are – Key was expected to visit some major New Zealand business endeavours underway at the international trade and logistics hub.
The delegation will be in China from April 17 to April 22.
Source: Stuff