Trade

The pressure will go on Barack Obama today to put his political capital on the line and get Congressional support to close out TPP. The mantra around the Apec meeting earlier today was “the finish line is in sight” when it comes to finalising negotiations on the Trans Pacific Partnership. The chapters of the TPP agreement are in place with …

It might be churlish to note that the United States wasn’t making a great deal of the anti-competitive nature of other nation’s currency settings when it was in the thick of quantitative easing That unpalatable truth hasn’t featured at all among the issues up for negotiation during the lengthy Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. But the Financial Times is reporting that the Obama …

Blue Skies in Beijing again and guaranteed to stay so until the Apec Leaders Jamboree rolls through China’s Capital City. We’re here once again to talk trade; make new business relationships; soak up the trends; gain insights into the progress on TPP and FTAAP; gauge how China is handling the competing trade agendas and see at least 10 Asia Pacific …

By Charles Finny With the Republicans back in control of both the House and Senate in the US there are positive signs that the dysfunction apparent in recent years on the hill may be ending.  With both President Obama and the Republican Leadership stating a desire to work together on matters of national importance APEC 2014 and ancillary meetings offers …

The Australian is today reporting that Australia is on track to sign free-trade agreement with China at about the time of the November G20 meeting in Brisbane, after the latest round of negotiations left senior ministers believing the deal can be clinched by the end of the year. The Oz story hedges bets somewhat about where the expected signing will …

Port of Tauranga, the country’s biggest export port, has reported a record profit bang on expectations as it readies a dredging project to prepare for larger ships. Net profit of $112.1 million in the year ended June 30 was up 52 percent on the previous year and in line with First NZ Capital’s expectation of $112.9 million. After a $38.2 …

New Zealand will ink an economic cooperation agreement with Taiwan in Wellington tomorrow evening completing a triumvirate of  FTAs with China and its satellites: Hong Kong and Taiwan. NZ will be the first Western nation to triangulate the trade relationship with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Singapore – which like NZ is understood to have agreed the guts of the …

Penny Macdonald Many trade negotiators in Indonesia for the famous pre-Bogor APEC meetings were excited about the emerging vision of free trade.  It was hard to believe that everyone was poised to sign on to such an ambitious goal.  In a bar in Jakarta, having somewhat patronisingly congratulated one Senior Official on (finally) joining the consensus, I can still hear …

Foreign Minister Murray McCully spoke to the US-NZ Pacific Partnership forum yesterday setting the scene with a speech focused on bilateralism. Thank you for being here. It’s great to be back in Washington, and to see so many friends of New Zealand here today. I attended the first of these forums in April 2006 and each subsequent gathering. I want …

Six USTRs (United States Trade Representatives) shared their Olympian insights into the intricacies of global trade at the Pacific Partnership forum in Washington this week. The big talking points were the opportunities and realities of the TPP negotiations, the US EU international trade and investment agreement, and the WTO. The Trans Pacific Partnership agreement – with a due completion date …