New Zealand: China must be involved in Asia-Pacific talks

China is unlikely to join talks on an Asia-Pacific free trade agreement anytime soon, but eventually the world’s No 2 economy will have to be involved in the pact, according to New Zealand’s trade minister, Tim Groser.

Speaking at a New Zealand-China business event, Groser also said the island nation had to up its game when dealing with Beijing, its largest export market, following a food safety scare in China concerning New Zealand dairy products.

“It is deeply improbable that any country will now join the TPP-12 as we seek to close the deal”, Groser said in a speech in Auckland, referring to the possibility of Beijing joining the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership talks now underway.