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New Zealand gov't determined to tackle Asia-Pacific non-tariff barriers

Xinhua, November 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay on Wednesday reiterated the government's determination to tackle the growth in non-tariff barriers in the Asia-Pacific region.

McClay was commenting on the release of two studies this week that revealed the cost and impact of "unnecessary red tape and arbitrary trade rules" on exporters.

Non-tariff measures (NTMs) in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies were costing the region's exporters 790 billion U.S. dollars, said a report from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER).

The amount was triple the total costs associated with simple border tariffs.

NTMs were costing New Zealand exporters about 5.9 billion U.S. dollars a year, said the report.

Meanwhile, the APEC Business Advisory Council released a new study showing non-tariff barriers were making food trade more difficult and expensive than it should be, and undermining goals of food security in the Asia-Pacific region.

"As the studies show, even as our growing network of trade agreements has reduced the costs for our exports, there has been a significant rise in the number of non-tariff barriers that exporters face," McClay said in a statement.

"These new studies underline the importance of the government's efforts to address non-tariff barriers, to ensure that New Zealand businesses can compete on a level playing field overseas," he said.

"Addressing non-tariff barriers has always been a significant part of our export-focused work. It is core work for a range of government agencies."

The government's New Zealand Trade and Enterprise agency was encouraging its export customers to come forward with market access issues they might be encountering.

Reducing the impact of non-tariff barriers on New Zealand business had also been highlighted as one of the key issues under a "refreshed" trade policy strategy.

McClay, who was in Lima for the annual APEC summit last week, welcomed the role that APEC had played in highlighting the issues posed by non-tariff barriers.

"I am pleased to see APEC taking a leadership role on this issue. New Zealand has been a big driver of this work and we will continue to make a strong contribution to APEC's efforts in this area," said McClay. Endit