NZ ahead of rivals says Chinese minister

By FRAN O'SULLIVAN, assistant editor



Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai has given a strong indication that New Zealand will stay at the front of the queue despite a flurry of countries seeking free trade deals with his nation.

In an exclusive interview with the Herald, Bo said there were at least 10 or even 30 countries "who were willing to talk about an FTA with us".

He emphasised each case would involve meticulous negotiations which "would sure last for a long period of time".

"But in the case of New Zealand, we can take the case for your country separately because you have so early recognised China as a market economy," he said.

Bo's assurances will be music to the ear of Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton, who signed a trade and economic framework with the visiting Chinese Commerce Minister on Friday.

Work on a joint feasibility study is expected to be completed before November's Apec meeting in Santiago. If all goes to plan, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Helen Clark will take the opportunity at Apec to publicly launch talks towards a free trade deal.

Bo - a former Governor of Liaoning Province - became Commerce Minister in February after Lu Fuyuan, the first minister in charge of China's new capitalist-style Commerce Ministry, took ill.

Fuyuan died two weeks ago.

Bo is a son of revolutionary leader Bo Yibo who was a cohort of Mao Zedong. During his three-day visit, he met New Zealand business players with interests in China and attended a dinner hosted by Sutton.

He also visited a dairy farm in Auckland, before departing yesterday for Chile, which like New Zealand wants to negotiate a preferential free trade deal with China.

He will attend the Apec Trade Ministers conference in Chile, where he is expected to talk again with Sutton.