FTA prospect with USA great news

The Employers & Manufacturers Association is hugely supportive of New Zealand negotiating a free trade agreement with the United States under the P4 agreement.

“The government is to be loudly congratulated for getting the US to the negotiating table on this issue,” said Alasdair Thompson, chief executive of EMA (Northern).

“86.1 per cent of New Zealand businesses polled in a recent pre-election survey fully support working to achieve an FTA with the US.*

“A comprehensive FTA with the US would rate ahead of the FTA with China, and second only in terms of importance to a favourable outcome under the WTO.

“In fact it would be the most important trade development for New Zealand since the CER deal with Australia in 1983.

“In addition a comprehensive FTA that added the US to the existing P4 agreement between Singapore, Chile, Brunei and New Zealand would be substantially more comprehensive, and deliver better trade outcomes than the FTA Australia has with the US.

“EMA and Business New Zealand have been deeply involved in preliminary talks with US representatives in talks on the value of the FTA to the US and how it could be expedited.”