China FTA passed

Parliament did some good yesterday and passed into law the legislation necessary to implement the free trade agreement with China.

The New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement Bill passed its third reading on a vote of 104 to 17, strongly supported by the National Party and opposed by the Greens, New Zealand First and the Maori Party.

I really wonder why those parties are against our export sector being able to export more goods and services to China?

As Phil Goff says:

Mr Goff said that would give New Zealand companies a unique competitive advantage in the world’s fastest growing economy.

“Our exports to China, currently at more than $2 billion a year, are estimated to grow by between $230-350 million a year faster than they would have without an FTA.”

The FTA is a win-win – good for New Zealand and good for China.