Tuesday, 28 May 2024 13:25

Friend or foe?

Written by  Milking It

OPINION: China's ambassador to NZ, Wang Xiaolong, reminded NZ exporters who is their friend when it comes to fair trading on the global market.

Speaking at the Chinese Business Summit in Auckland last week, he noted that it was the Western industrial countries that preached to China in its early stages of development the virtues of an open market, free trade and sustainability.

Xiaolong noted that China has fulfilled all its commitments and obligations under WTO and its FTAs with other countries and regions including New Zealand.

"Then, ironically, the very countries having lectured us in the first place have ditched their own sermons. It so turns out that the 'fair competition', 'comparative advantage' or 'free trade' they espouse is but a game that must be won by them and them alone, and is for everyone else to lose."

He was reminding NZ of Canada's reluctance to open their dairy market to NZ products allowed under a trade deal.

More like this

Cold comfort

One of the most galling aspects of the tariffs whacked on our farm exports to the US is the fact that, now more than ever, US farmers are being propped up by government welfare – a direct result of Trump’s hardline on its trading partners.

Strong wool eyes China

China looks set to play a key role in helping the New Zealand wool sector shift away from trading as a commodity supplier.

NZ wine grapples with oversupply despite export gains

The large 2025 harvest will exacerbate the wine industry's "lingering" supply from recent vintages, New Zealand Winegrowers Chief Executive Philip Gregan told attendees at Grape Days events around the country in June.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

New pick-up for Reiter R10 merger

Building on experience gained during 10 years of making mergers/ windrowers, Austrian company Reiter has announced the secondgeneration pick-up on…

Krone EasyCut B1250 fold

In 2024, German manufacturer Krone introduced the F400 Fold, a 4m wide disc front mower, featuring end modules that hinge…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Microplastics problem

OPINION: Microplastics are turning up just about everywhere in the global food supply, including in fish, cups of tea, and…

Job cuts

OPINION: At a time when dairy prices are at record highs, no one was expecting the world's second largest dairy…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter