Breaking the South-South FTA Mould: Why China ‘Went OECD’ with New Zealand?
Journal
China Report
ISSN
0009-4455
0973-063X
Date Issued
2018
Author(s)
Fernando M. Schmidt Hernandez
Type
Resource Types::text::journal::journal article
Abstract
<jats:p> China and New Zealand were able to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2008, in spite of the large differences in standards under which they were respectively negotiating trade agreements in the international arena. This article starts with a descriptive analysis of these differences between each country’s standards in terms of FTA quality. With the description of these standards, which seem to stand on opposite sides of a continuum, we examine why China and New Zealand decided to forego the standards under which they had negotiated previous agreements in order to find a middle ground. This process of convergence showcases how the interests of both parties moved them towards the adoption of a middle ground which enabled them to negotiate a win-win agreement. </jats:p>
Subjects
convergence
;
fta quality
;
trade negotiations
;
trade liberalisation
;
china
;
new zealand