Wednesday, 27 July 2016 12:59

Minister clarifies China trade issue

Written by 

Trade Minister Todd McClay has reiterated the Government has sought and received assurances from the Chinese Government that any competition issues would not impact on trade between the two countries.

McClay is responding to reports that retaliatory action could be imposed if an investigation is launched into allegations of steel dumping.

"On my return from Indonesia I asked my office for a full review of the broader issues around this matter," he says.

"I want to make it clear that there have been discussions and limited correspondence over the past few months as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has endeavoured to assess the veracity of these reports.

"I remain limited in what I can say as there are legislative constraints around the reporting of competition complaints that are not yet under investigation. These remain confidential until such time as any investigation is launched and publicly notified.

"Having said that, at the time I should have requested a more thorough briefing before I responded to questions on this issue.

"I have apologised to the Prime Minister for not being able to provide more details at the time.

"I would like to reiterate that through our engagement on this issue we have sought and received assurance from the Chinese Government that any concerns around retaliatory action are unfounded.

"I stand by my view the assurances should give our exporters confidence that our trading relationship with China remains in good heart."

More like this

Editorial: KiwiSaver to the rescue?

OPINION: Farmers are rightly urging the Government to relax the rules around KiwiSaver and allow young farmers to use their savings towards purchasing either a house, cows or a farm.

Editorial: Winston's words of wisdom

OPINION: Foreign policy is a real strength of Winston Peter and this is recognised by Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) officials who, so the story goes, wanted him in his present role because of his experience in that field.

NZ supports rules-based system

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters often describes NZ as a small and isolated nation situated 'just north of the penguins' but says in terms of global affairs, NZ and other small nations should be judged on the quality of their arguments and not the size of their military.

Featured

National

Machinery & Products

New Holland combines crack 50 years

New Holland is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the introduction its Twin Rotor threshing and separation technology, which has evolved…

Iconic TPW Woolpress turns 50!

The company behind the iconic TPW Woolpress, which fundamentally changed the way wool is baled in Australia and New Zealand,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Double standards

OPINION: Imagine if the Hound had called the Minister of Finance the 'c-word' and accused her of "girl math".

Debt monster

OPINION: It's good news that Finance Minister Nicola Willis has slashed $1.1 billion from new spending, citing "a seismic global…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter