Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jenny Shipley has highlighted key milestones in her country's relationship with China, noting that these achievements demonstrate New Zealand's pioneering spirit and set a model for other countries seeking to hammer out free trade agreements (FTAs).
Shipley made the remarks in an exclusive interview released by China Media Group (CMG) on Friday.
New Zealand was the first developed country to complete negotiations with China on its accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). It also led the way as the first country to grant China full market economy status and became the first developed nation to negotiate and finalize a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with China.
Reflecting on New Zealand's early diplomatic milestones with China, Shipley underscored that her country's commitment to free trade has been central to its foreign policy.
"We believe in free trade. Some of my leaders before me and myself and others genuinely felt that it was not only good for New Zealand, but it was good for the world. And when China was moving toward wanting to apply to become part of the WTO, New Zealand felt that a huge, emerging, important economy, even though at that moment, there were still many challenges that China was dealing with, that it was much better to be in the rules-based system than outside it. And so we took the decision that it was completely sensible to share our experience," she said.
Shipley, who was involved in New Zealand's early discussions with China, expressed pride in her country's pioneering role, particularly in the negotiation of the FTA between the two countries.
"When I chaired APEC in 1999, many of my visits prior to APEC included New Zealand's open commitment to supporting China's accession to the WTO. New Zealand said, look, we are complementary as economies. We produce massive amounts of food, we need your imports. Could we see if we could work out an agreement that was mutually beneficial? And also set a precedent where we both can learn. And I'm very proud to say that in retrospect, that's exactly what happened. We worked together systematically. Every now and again, we hit problems. We sat down and worked them through. China needed some time to remove all of the tariffs, but over time that's happened, and it's a very comprehensive FTA and well worth looking at for other countries, if they're looking to do it," she said.
China signed an FTA with New Zealand in April 2008, and the agreement came into force in October the same year. The two sides announced the conclusion of their three-year negotiations on the upgrade in November 2019 and signed a protocol in January 2021.
Shipley, New Zealand's first female prime minister, held office from 1997 to 1999.
Former New Zealand's PM highlights pioneering spirit in relationship with China
Former New Zealand's PM highlights pioneering spirit in relationship with China
