Asean FTA - Another Milestone for New Zealand

Asean FTA - Another Milestone for New Zealand

The Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the news that the Free Trade Agreement between ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand has been concluded.

“This has been a high priority for us for some time and we are pleased that the government has reached this milestone,” said Chamber Chief Executive, Charles Finny.

“The ASEAN countries an increasingly important market for New Zealand exports and this agreement will further integrate New Zealand’s position in the region.

“We are pleased that the agreement covers investment and intellectual property as well as goods services.

“We look forward to seeing the detail of the agreement when its announced and are particularly hopeful that the coverage of services is comprehensive. This is an important sector for Wellington exporters.

“While a high quality multilateral trade agreement is preferable to a series of global trading blocks, it is in New Zealand’s best interests to pursue bilateral FTAs with our key trade partners.

“We hope similar agreements can be reached with with India, Korea and Japan, all of which are also important potential trade partners for New Zealand.

“I would like to congratulate Phil Goff and his officials for their hard work and succesful outcome,” Mr Finny concluded.

ENDS

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