Why is it called a Free Trade Agreement when...

[mashman]

Total trade between New Zealand and China went from $8.5 billion in October 2008, when the FTA took effect, to $11.1 billion in October last year.

"New Zealand's exports to China, now worth $4.5 billion, have almost doubled in the past two years, with growth in all major export sectors," Mr Groser said.

It would seem rather expensive looking at the trade imbalance. I think we should call it the SHITA, the Shafting Halfarsed Investment Trade Agreement... and it doubled in a year

[MisterD]

It would seem rather expensive looking at the trade imbalance. I think we should call it the SHITA, the Shafting Halfarsed Investment Trade Agreement... and it doubled in a year

Haaang on a mo'. Total trade increased by $2.6bn but exports increased by $2.25bn...so that looks to have been a good deal to me. Seems to show that it was true that we didn't really have many barriers to incoming goods anyway.

[slofox]

Seems to show that it was true that we didn't really have many barriers to incoming goods anyway.

Course not. Everything you buy these days is made in effing China...

[mashman]

Haaang on a mo'. Total trade increased by $2.6bn but exports increased by $2.25bn...so that looks to have been a good deal to me. Seems to show that it was true that we didn't really have many barriers to incoming goods anyway.

Whilst it looks like we've been clawing back the deficit, there's still the (approx) $6,000,000,000 deficit in trade to close. And media reports (yes media) from 2008, some citing a $2,000,000,000 trade deficit, but found this one citing a $3,600,000,000 deficit actually means our deficit has grown? Good deal?

[slofox]

We buy damn near everything offshore these days. Because local production has been killed by cheap imports from places like China where labour is cheap and labour laws are ignored.

Of course there's a deficit. We don't make enough of our own stuff anymore.

[mashman]

you grumpy old bastard , China is a godsend if yer in the dairy business ya know, like we all are...

[slofox]

you grumpy old bastard , China is a godsend if yer in the dairy business ya know, like we all are...

I can't even afford to eat cheese any more dammit...

[oneofsix]

you grumpy old bastard , China is a godsend if yer in the dairy business ya know, like we all are...

Too steal Tom Scott's cartoon, just change the Oz to Chinese

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/cartoons/

[mashman]

Too steal Tom Scott's cartoon, just change the Oz to Chinese

http://www.stuff.co.nz/blogs/opinion/cartoons/

heh, perhaps they'll share us and we'll be Austrinese owned... after all, don't the Aussies make shitloads of NZ cash by selling once NZ owned businesses to China? Ironic as it's probably with the money we pass on through the trade deficit

[Oscar]

So what would you have us do?

"OK you Aussies and Chinese, we're gonna sell you our stuff, but you can't send anything here..."

Or make all that stuff ourselves...

[Grasshopperus]

"Free Trade" deals have almost nothing to do with free trade. They're called what they because anyone who objects looks like they're against freedom. It's like calling a parliamentary act that opens more of the coromandel up for mining the 'Save Our Children Act'.

At the moment 'free trade' usually means accepting another countries copyright and intellectual property (lol) laws.

I recall that NZ was recently looking at signing something with the USA that let's their businesses sue our government if NZ does something that reduces their profits over here.

[Elysium]

Yeah but surely our underware is now cheaper right?.....

[pete376403]

One of these days, when the rest of the world has lost (or sold) its manufacturing capabiliy to China, the chinese are going to start putting their prices up. Then we'll really be screwed