12 May 2017 | China 

We were pleased to have the New Zealand delegation in Beijing 25-27 April for the first round of the New Zealand-China FTA upgrade negotiations. The dates for the first round were announced during Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to New Zealand in March.
First round of NZ-China FTA upgrade negotiations held in Beijing.
First round of NZ-China FTA upgrade negotiations held in Beijing.
The New Zealand delegation was led by chief negotiator Brad Burgess from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. China’s delegation was led by Director Wang Jiangning from China’s Ministry of Commerce. Director General Zhang Shaogang also attended and opened the talks.

New Zealand was the first developed country to conclude an FTA with China, in 2008, and is the first to launch an upgrade process. We are wanting to deepen cooperation between New Zealand and China, modernise the FTA signed almost 10 years ago, and address barriers to help further free-up trade for our goods and services exporters. A high quality upgrade will help lift trade to our bilateral trade target of $30 billion by 2020 and further demonstrate New Zealand and China’s commitment to free trade and open global markets.

For more images of the talks, check out the following coverage from China’s central television network.

Our negotiating team is also keen to hear from New Zealand business in China about issues we should be prioritising in negotiations. Check out www.mfat.govt.nz/chinafta (external link) for more details. 

Story link:

https://mfat.govt.nz/en/media-and-resources/news/first-round-of-nz-china-fta-upgrade-negotiations-held-in-beijing/