Global trade landscape shifting, APEC must reaffirm open cooperation: NZ ambassador to China

Summary

New Zealand's Ambassador to China, Jonathan Austin, told the 21st Century Business Herald in an interview in Beijing that APEC economies need to stand together to defend the international trading system built up over decades of effort. That system is under pressure, he said, and one of APEC's key values is bringing the region's major economies back to the table to jointly reaffirm their commitment to an open, rules-based and predictable trading system. As a small economy far from other markets, New Zealand cannot prosper on trade with itself alone; it must grow through international trade, and that trade has to rest on a fair, rules-based system.

Austin said China's three priorities for this year — openness, innovation and cooperation — align closely with New Zealand's own thinking and sit at the core of APEC's mission. With divergences growing worldwide, it is important to bring economies together to find common ground, he said. An open trade environment is an important foundation for deepening China-New Zealand commercial ties, he said.

China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, the two economies are highly complementary, and New Zealand exports to China in a single day as much as it exports to Sweden in a whole year. Austin said New Zealand was the first developed country to sign a free trade agreement with China, and that the China-NZ FTA has driven a sharp increase in two-way trade. The two countries are now negotiating on services trade, aiming to lift market openness further on the back of existing FTA cooperation, with an agreement hoped for before the end of the year.

New Zealand and China were both founding members of APEC and have worked closely together on a range of issues over the years, he said.

Commentary

New Zealand's ambassador to China has made clear he wants the China-New Zealand services trade upgrade talks concluded by the end of the year. China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, and the ambassador used the line that a single day's exports to China equal a full year's exports to Sweden to illustrate the depth of that reliance. Services account for about 70% of New Zealand's GDP, yet services exports make up only about 30% of total exports, with education, tourism and professional services the three main pillars.

For NZ SMEs, an upgraded services trade agreement could deliver more immediate opportunities than goods tariffs — in fields such as law, accounting, engineering consultancy and film and television post-production, where lower equity caps, mutual recognition of professional qualifications and fewer restrictions on the movement of business people may be on the table. The caveat is that China has traditionally opened its services market cautiously: the negative list for pilot free trade zones differs from the national version, and local compliance, cross-border data and cultural adaptation costs are high. RCEP's services commitments are relatively conservative, so a higher-standard bilateral deal could create a point of differentiation.

Firms should watch the specific sectors on the negative list, compare the services terms in the existing China-Australia and China-Korea FTAs, and assess whether an onshore entity or a joint venture with a local partner is worth it, rather than relying solely on cross-border delivery.

Keywords: APEC, New Zealand Ambassador to China Jonathan Austin, open cooperation, international trading system, China-New Zealand trade and economic cooperation, services trade negotiations, free trade agreement, China's largest trading partner

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

新西兰驻华大使乔文博（Jonathan Austin）在北京接受21世纪经济报道专访时表示，APEC各经济体需要团结起来，维护历经数十年努力建立的国际贸易体系。他指出，当前国际贸易体系正面临压力，APEC的重要价值之一是把亚太主要经济体重新汇聚起来，共同重申对开放、以规则为基础且可预期的贸易体系的承诺。作为中小经济体，新西兰距离世界其他市场遥远，不能仅靠与自己贸易实现繁荣，必须通过国际贸易实现经济发展，且国际贸易需建立在公平、以规则为基础的体系上。

乔文博认为，中国今年提出的“开放、创新、合作”三大优先事项与新西兰理念高度契合，也是APEC自身使命的核心；在全球分歧增多背景下，让各经济体坐到一起寻找共识非常重要。他还表示，开放的贸易环境是中新经贸合作不断深化的重要基础，中国是新西兰最大贸易伙伴，两国经济互补性强，新西兰一天对华出口规模相当于对瑞典一整年的出口规模。乔文博强调，新西兰是第一个与中国签署自由贸易协定的发达国家，中新自贸协定推动双边贸易大幅增长；当前两国正推进服务贸易领域谈判，希望在既有自贸合作基础上继续提升市场开放水平，并希望今年年底前达成协议。

他提到，新西兰和中国都是APEC创始成员，多年来在多个议题上保持密切合作。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

新西兰驻华大使明确表态，希望年底前完成中新服务贸易升级谈判。中国是新西兰最大贸易伙伴，大使用“一天对华出口等于对瑞典全年出口”说明依赖度。新西兰服务业占GDP约70%，但服务出口仅占总出口约30%，其中教育、旅游、专业服务是三大支柱。

对NZ中小企业而言，升级版服务贸易协定可能带来比货物关税更直接的机会——法律、会计、工程咨询、影视后期等领域有望降低股权比例、执业资格互认和商务人员流动限制。但需注意，中国服务市场开放历来谨慎，自贸试验区负面清单与全国版不一致，且本地合规、数据跨境、文化适配成本高。RCEP服务贸易承诺较保守，双边谈判若达成较高水平，可能形成差异化优势。

企业宜关注负面清单具体行业条目，对比现有中澳、中韩FTA服务条款，评估是否值得在华设立实体或与本地伙伴合资，而非仅依赖跨境交付。

关键词: APEC, 新西兰驻华大使乔文博, 开放合作, 国际贸易体系, 中新经贸合作, 服务贸易谈判, 自由贸易协定, 中国最大贸易伙伴

Source: Tencent