China and New Zealand have agreed to conclude their negotiations
on Free Trade Area (FTA) in one or two years.
Visiting Premier Wen Jiabao and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen
Clark made the announcement after their talks yesterday.?
The deal should be "comprehensive, high-quality, balanced and
acceptable to both," Wen, who was on an official visit to New
Zealand, told a press conference.
The negotiations, which have been ongoing for six years, "have
entered a critical phase" and will "touch upon certain sensitive
issues, including agriculture and service sectors." However, these
"are not insurmountable difficulties."
He added that they can be overcome if the two sides adopt
equality, mutual benefit and?mutual compromise as guiding
principles.
"This shows the resolve of statesmen and the willingness of the
people," he said.?
Any FTA New Zealand signs with China would be China's first with
a developed country, and would add to the three "firsts" made by a
developed country in relation to China. These include a bilateral
agreement on China's WTO admission, recognizing China's market
economy status, and launching FTA talks with China.
Wen hopes "New Zealand can strike more firsts in terms of its
relations with China."
Clark listed other achievements from their talks: an annual
meeting mechanism has been set up and the meetings will take place
in either capital or on the sidelines of international summits and
other multilateral events; close collaboration in APEC and at the
East Asian Summit; new non-stop flights between Auckland and
Shanghai; and New Zealand's participation in the 2010 Shanghai
World Expo.
On the Taiwan issue, Clark reiterated that the New Zealand
government observed the one-China policy and opposed any effort to
separate Taiwan from the mainland.?
At a luncheon held in Wen's honor, Clark said: "We marvel at the
sheer magnitude of China's growth, and the dramatic development
that is unleashing. New Zealand can be both a contributor to and a
beneficiary of China's growth and development."?
In New Zealand, the third leg of Wen's four-nation tour, both
sides have agreed to hone a relationship of all-round cooperation
with mutual benefits and win-win outcomes. The two sides also
agreed to jointly fight against transnational crimes, and expand
mutual investment in agriculture and animal husbandry.?
Wen and Clark witnessed the signing of four cooperative
documents including a treaty on mutual legal assistance in criminal
matters, a cultural exchange agreement, a protocol on veterinary
and sanitary requirements for edible deer exports from New Zealand,
and a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in education and
training.?
The education deal is a significant one because New Zealand is
host to nearly 30,000 Chinese students studying at various levels.
"Today Premier Wen and I have agreed on a new initiative for
cooperation on high-level educational research and vocational
training," Clark said.?
The signing of a commercial deal also drew wide attention.
Fonterra, a giant of New Zealand's dairy industry, got the green
light to form a China joint venture. It will take a 43 percent
stake in the Chinese dairy company Sanlu. The exact value of the
investment involved has not yet been revealed.?
William McQiu, a dairy industry expert, said: "The deal reflects
that there are many opportunities for the New Zealand dairy
industry to exploit their expertise in all areas of the business
from milk collection to consumer goods in the vast China
market."?
(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2006)