Check against Delivery
4th WTO Trade Policy Review of New Zealand (June 10th, 2009)
Statement by the Republic of Korea
Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
I would like to join my previous speakers in extending a warm welcome to the delegation of New Zealand. Especially, I would like to thank Amb. Walker, who traveled all the way back from Bali to lead his delegation at this TPR. I thank him for this short yet comprehensive presentation. Allow me to also express my appreciations to Amb. Martin Glass for his insightful comments as the discussant, and to the Secretariat for its report.
Mr. Chairman,
New Zealand is a role model for all of us at the WTO. Since the mid 1980s, New Zealand has successfully implemented major economic re-structuring efforts while progressively liberalizing its economy; as such, its impressive track record in the area of economic reform has now made it one of the more open economies of the world, and one which is “relatively well-positioned today to weather the impact of the global recession.”
In this context, my delegation approaches this TPR from the perspective of desiring to learn the New Zealand experience, not only its previous successes, but to be better acquainted with any plans it has set for the future.
Mr. Chairman,
In terms of bilateral trade relations, Korea and New Zealand have enjoyed excellent relations throughout the years. Bilateral trade figures are now close to the 2 billion dollars per year level, and we look forward to further growth in the coming years.
Recently, with a view to further strengthening the existing ties, New Zealand and Korea have started negotiations on a comprehensive FTA which encompasses, among others, all areas of trade in goods, trade in services, investment, and intellectual property. Korea looks forward to the early conclusion of this FTA, which will not only contribute to further cementing the existing ties between the two countries, but hopefully will also be useful in promoting the regional integration initiative underway in the Asia/Pacific region.
Also, as strong believers in the principles and institutions of the multilateral trading system, both New Zealand and Korea have been strong supporters of its enhancement.
On this, I would like to note and extend our appreciations to New Zealand for sending us, in succession, highly capable negotiators in the field of Agriculture. We have no doubt
1
Check against Delivery
that under the guidance of the current Chair Ambassador Walker, we will achieve further progress culminating in the successful conclusion of the Doha Round.
Mr. Chairman,
As I noted earlier, New Zealand maintains an open and transparent economy, as such, barriers against foreigners seem to be limited. However, we have noted an interesting development in the area of FDI where in March, 2008 the New Zealand government introduced a new measure to allow for an extra review process involving “strategically important infra-structure on sensitive land.” In light of the potential adverse effects this measure might entail for FDI into New Zealand, we would appreciate some clarifications on the purpose, guidelines employed, and some examples of its use.
Also, we note that some of the privatization measures of the mid 1980s has witnessed a policy reversal which continues to this day. On this item, I believe it might be helpful if New Zealand could share with the membership its experience: what propelled this reversal, and whether there are lessons that developing countries such as mine can learn from it.
Lastly, we note with great interest the requirement on the dominant local telecom operator (Telecom New Zealand) to “unbundle its local loop.” We would be interested to know whether this process has begun, and what is (or will be) the process that has been formulated to do so. A comment on the lessons learned thus far from this endeavor would be helpful, if possible.
Mr. Chairman,
Prior to the two week deadline my delegation submitted a number of advanced written questions to New Zealand on issues of interest to us. I would like to thank New Zealand for providing its provisional answers this afternoon. We will forward them to capital, and revert on the second day if necessary.
I would like to conclude by expressing my appreciations to the delegation of New Zealand for their hard work, and wish them every success in their fourth TPR.
Thank you.
***
2
