A New Zealand delegation visiting Taipei said that it expects more opportunities for trade cooperation with Taiwan, including partnerships to explore other markets.
The 30-member delegation is the first trade mission from New Zealand since the Agreement Between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation (ANZTEC) took effect in December last year.
“We are here to demonstrate that we take the relationship with Taiwan very seriously and to show that we are determined to develop it even further,” said Sir Ken Stevens, chairman of Export New Zealand and executive chairman of the Glidepath Group.
“As a result of the ANZTEC agreement and after our visit, I am very confident we will see many more New Zealanders visiting Taiwan and doing much more business with Taiwan,” Stevens said in a statement on Wednesday.
The initiatives are to include Taiwan and New Zealand businesses “forming partnerships to jointly explore other markets elsewhere,” he said.
“The fact is that though Taiwan is the eighth-largest market for our products by value, our smaller companies have tended to overlook the possibilities for building relationships here and deepening our business connections,” he added.
In the first five months after the ANZTEC took effect, New Zealand’s exports to Taiwan increased by more than 30 percent, while Taiwanese exports to New Zealand grew by more than 20 percent, Stevens said. In the first half of this year, Taiwan’s top eight exports to New Zealand saw double-digit growth, he said.
New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei Director Si’alei van Toor told luncheon attendees on Wednesday that Taiwan is a very important market for New Zealand.
It is New Zealand’s top export market for apples and cherries, as well as being a major market for dairy products, kiwifruit, beef, wood and other products, she said.
New Zealand Trade Development Centre in Taipei Director Dean Prebble said the delegation’s visit had been a success and that he expects bilateral trade links to grow.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Taiwan and Export New Zealand are expected to play critical roles in dveloping new relationships and strengthening existing ones, Prebble said.
“The key to strong trade growth is to understand what each party has to offer and gain trust in each other’s ability to deliver on promises,” he said. “We are off to a great start.”
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