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On 7 April 2008, New Zealand and China signed a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement. It was the first bilateral FTA that Beijing signed with a so-called developed country. It entered into force on 1 October 2008.
The NZ-China FTA has raised a number of concerns among New Zealanders, especially relating to:  weak food safety and environmental standards behind China’s agricultural exports to NZ, which are bound to multiply because of the deal; the labour conditions and lack of rights that Chinese workers are subject to, which the FTA does not address; China’s broader human rights record, including the repression in Tibet; the ability of Chinese corporations to now sue the New Zealand government if it were to restrict, in any way, Chinese trade or investment on grounds relating to labour rights, environmental standards or health concerns; and the inability of New Zealand’s fruit and vegetable producers to compete with the influx of Chinese imports, given the lower wages in their production costs.A number of New Zealand business groups eager to expand operations in China were happy with the deal, of course. One of these was Fonterra, New Zealand’s largest company and the third largest dairy exporter on the planet. Fonterra took advantage of the agreement to buy up Chinese dairy companies and further build its business in the mainland. But when the melamine milk scandal broke in September 2008 and the public learned that Fonterra — which owned 43% of Sanlu, the first Chinese company linked to the milk — knew of the contamination months before but never said anything, the recriminations came pouring in. (More than 300,000 people fell ill and six infants died of kidney failure as a result of the contamination. And by the end of 2008, Sanlu went bankrupt.) last update: May 2012 Articles
NZ-China agricultural agreement signed
| 25-April-2013
NZ Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has signed a Strategic Plan on Promoting Agricultural Cooperation between New Zealand and China. 
NZ Trade Minister Tim Groser is expected to smooth some growing wrinkles in New Zealand’s relationship with China when he arrives in Beijing on Monday for talks with some of Beijing’s most powerful mandarins.
China’s dairy tariffs part of FTA - Groser
| 22-June-2011
Tariffs imposed by China on imported dairy products are part of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which New Zealand has benefitted greatly from, Trade Minister Tim Groser says.
Groser walks diplomatic path to China as Greens lob barbed warning
| 17-June-2010
A Chinese political and trade delegation to New Zealand has been lauded as a positive continuance of a burgeoning relationship between the two countries by Trade Minister Tim Groser.
Natural Dairy buys four farms, eyes more in NZ plan
| 24-March-2010
The deal shows “the gate on the New Zealand-China free trade agreement swings both ways,” a Federated Farmers official said. Natural Dairy, formerly China Jin Hui Mining Corporation, agreed to buy four farms in New Zealand and is in talks for 24 more as part of a NZ$1.5bn (US$1.1bn) expansion in the world’s biggest dairy exporter.
Commitment needed for China trade
| 15-January-2010
We’re the only Western country to boast a free trade deal with China. But are New Zealand companies — and the Government — doing enough to exploit that?
High kiwi overshadows benefits of Chinese deal
| 30-October-2009
The benefits of the New Zealand-China free trade deal have been overshadowed by the high dollar and plunging export values in September, figures from Statistics New Zealand show.
Progress made towards New Zealand-Asia FTA: minister
| 25-August-2009
Recent talks made progress toward a free trade agreement with Asian countries, Trade Minister Tim Groser told Parliament on Tuesday.
Toxic food crisis outcome of free trade policies
| 25-September-2008
The Fonterra scandal in China has evolved into a major food crisis. "We are seeing the reality of free trade in action, the negatives that have been concealed by the greed and arrogance of Government and private business interests," says the New Zealand Alliance Party
Fonterra caught in China milk powder scandal
| 15-September-2008
New Zealand’s dairy giant Fonterra is caught up in the latest food scandal in China as the contaminated milk powder crisis reveals weeks of delay before the public was informed. NZ Green Party co-leader Russel Norman said “We signed up for a free trade agreement with no rules around environment or health, and so we are exposing ourselves and our companies to these types of scandals.” 0 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | ... | 100 | archives |
L’accord entre l’Union Européenne et l’Inde menace l’accès aux traitements en Afrique du Nord et au Moyen-Orient
| 12-April-2013
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