New Zealand's prime minister said yesterday she would sign a groundbreaking free trade agreement with China on April 7 at Beijing's Great Hall of the People.
The deal -- which will give New Zealand access to the world's fastest-growing economy -- is expected to boost exports to China by up to NZ$400 million (US$318 million) a year.
"This is a significant event for both New Zealand and China," New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said, adding that details of the agreement would be released publicly after the signing ceremony.
farm output
Previously Clark said the trade pact would cut tariff barriers for New Zealand farm exports to China. Farm output makes up half of New Zealand's annual economic production.
Beyond trade in goods, the agreement is also expected to cover the services sector, from insurance and banking to education and labor supply.
China has already sought New Zealand's permission for specialist workers, including chefs and Chinese language teachers, to work in New Zealand. New Zealand has said it will study the proposal closely.
two-way trade
Two-way trade between China and New Zealand is currently worth more than NZ$4.8 billion a year, with Chinese exports making up about 80 percent.
After the pact is signed, it will have to be formally ratified in New Zealand's parliament.
Clark will be one of the first Western leaders to meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) since rioting began in Tibet, and she has said that she will raise the issue in formal talks.
New Zealand has urged China to engage in meaningful dialogue with representatives of the Tibetan people as the best way to achieve a lasting resolution to problems in Tibet.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
‘WORLD’S LOSS’: Taiwan’s exclusion robs the world of the benefits it could get from one of the foremost practitioners of disease prevention and public health, Minister Chiu said Taiwan should be allowed to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an irreplaceable contributor to global health and disease prevention efforts, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. He made the comment at a news conference in Taipei, hours before a Taiwanese delegation was to depart for Geneva, Switzerland, seeking to meet with foreign representatives for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the WHA, the WHO’s annual decisionmaking meeting, which would be held from Monday next week to May 27. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation. Taiwan has much to offer to the international community’s
RSS