World Trade: Britain formally begins free trade talks with Australia and New Zealand

[-:Undertaker:-]

https://www.theguardian.com/business...ost-brexit-era

Britain begins Free Trade talks with Australia and New Zealand

Australian and New Zealand ministers say they are eager to do deals with the UK as their economies emerge from the coronavirus crisis

Australia and New Zealand are about to begin negotiations on a free trade agreement with the UK in what the Australian trade minister said was “a strong signal of our mutual support for free trade” in a post-Covid-19 world.

Simon Birmingham said Australia was “ready to help the UK find new beginnings post-Brexit and in doing so, open up new doors for our farmers, businesses and investors”.

“We’ve been preparing for this deal since the UK decided to leave the EU and welcome their agreement to commence negotiations,” Birmingham said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

The UK is Australia’s seventh largest trading partner.

New Zealand’s trade minister, David Parker, echoed Birmingham’s sentiments.

“As the UK embarks on its next steps post-Brexit, New Zealand is pleased to be among the first countries to negotiate a trade agreement with one of our oldest friends,” Parker said.

New Zealand and Britain had “a close relationship, including strong trade and economic ties, common values and traditions and a shared history”, he said.

Agriculture will be a hotly contested issue; New Zealand lost its privileged access to the British markets in 1973 when the UK joined the European Economic Community, the precursor to the EU, a slight still felt by some in the primary industries.

Delighted to join with @BorisJohnson to celebrate today’s launch of negotiations on a free trade agreement between Australia and the UK.

It will mean more jobs, more growth and more opportunities for both our citizens to live and work in each other’s countries post COVID. pic.twitter.com/gToJuuwx95

— Scott Morrison (@ScoMo30) June 17, 2020

There are few countries in the world who share a closer friendship than Australia and the UK.

Now, as an independent trading nation for the first time in decades, we have the opportunity to turn our shared history and friendship into a world-leading free trade agreement. 🇬🇧🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/PPWESs3aHq

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 17, 2020

🇬🇧 High Commissioner @LauraClarkeUK, 🇳🇿 PM @jacindaardern & Minister for Trade @DavidParkerMP formally launched FTA negotiations between the #UK & #NZ today. The first round of negotiations will commence mid-July. You can watch the full press conference ⤵️https://t.co/MMDNoW1pCt pic.twitter.com/suHDg461VK

— UK in New Zealand (@UKinNZ) June 17, 2020

I’m proud to call the United Kingdom a friend of New Zealand, and am thrilled that we now have the opportunity to strengthen our alliance by negotiating a new free trade agreement. 🇬🇧🇳🇿 pic.twitter.com/OVMilbAq4G

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 17, 2020

Great news.

Britain now has 20 FTAs signed and sealed with various countries/trade blocs.

And we've already signed Mutual Recognition Agreements with Japan, America, Australia and New Zealand.

For more information, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...United_Kingdom

Thoughts?

[-:Undertaker:-]

@dbgtz;

According to Wiki, Britain now has 20 FTAs signed and coming into force on 1st January 2021.

By comparison, the EU has 38 FTAs currently in force and the world's biggest economy - America - has 19 FTAs in force.


Given you've said the 5th largest economy in the world is "small" and we're not yet trade independent yet, that's decent isn't it?

[dbgtz]

arent those all just copies of the existing eu ones with tiny states? whats the actual value of those?
heres the government saying the nz deal will be negligible or could even have a negative impact: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9571421.html

also the video advertising tim tams is an embarrassment

[-:Undertaker:-]

arent those all just copies of the existing eu ones with tiny states? whats the actual value of those?
heres the government saying the nz deal will be negligible or could even have a negative impact: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a9571421.html

also the video advertising tim tams is an embarrassment

Well now you're contradicting everything you've ever said about EU FTAs.

You told me during the referendum campaign that if Britain were to negotiate her own FTAs, then they would be inferior to anything negotiated as part of the EU because of clout and size. That's been proven wrong by these EU FTAs being rolled over to UK FTAs.

Now that they've been rolled over, you're now saying they are insignificant (all 20 of them!) when during the referendum you warned that we'd be walking away from beneficial EU FTAs with the rest of the world worth billions of pounds in trade.

What you really mean is you're embarrassed to be British and by everything we do, even when it is the same as the EU itself.

[dbgtz]

firstly i believe your claim that i said x pre-referendum was false. my intention right to the referendum day was to spoil my ballot as i did not lean either side, and both of the reasons i eventually leaned to remain had nothing to do with free trade agreements. please stop claiming things i have never said - you do this twice in that statement and they contribute nothing of value to this entire conversation

secondly, instead of just going on a rant, why would you not answer my question about the value of these agreements? if they have value, then my argument would be moot

thirdly, what i have said very recently is that bigger players have a greater influence and will set much more of the agenda, so to speak. 20 fta being rolled over from negotiation with a bigger player does not disprove this

[-:Undertaker:-]

firstly i believe your claim that i said x pre-referendum was false. my intention right to the referendum day was to spoil my ballot as i did not lean either side, and both of the reasons i eventually leaned to remain had nothing to do with free trade agreements. please stop claiming things i have never said - you do this twice in that statement and they contribute nothing of value to this entire conversation

Do you now accept that Britain is perfectly capable in size and clout to negotiate our own FTAs around the world then?

secondly, instead of just going on a rant, why would you not answer my question about the value of these agreements? if they have value, then my argument would be moot

I assume they have value in liberalising trade, sure. Unless you're claiming the EU has negotiated worthless FTAs?

What I am looking forward to is building on those FTAs and tailoring them for British interests and needs, instead of the EU27.

thirdly, what i have said very recently is that bigger players have a greater influence and will set much more of the agenda, so to speak. 20 fta being rolled over from negotiation with a bigger player does not disprove this

We already have 20 FTAs compared to America's 19, the largest economy in the world. Tiny Singapore has 22 FTAs. If the EU has managed to negotiate such great FTAs only due to its clout, why are its partners now rolling those same terms in the FTAs over to Britain? - a country which you claimed the other day was small. Isn't it actually the case - and always was - that if there's business to be done, business will be done.

Take this example with Japan, the world's 3rd largest economy:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/u...e-negotiations

Britain, having already agreed Mutual Recognition with Japan, is now negotiating an FTA with Japan alone, like a big boy.

[dbgtz]

you literally dont take a word anyone says in
im bored of this now

[Cerys]

[-:Undertaker:-]

you literally dont take a word anyone says in
im bored of this now

Debate me instead of saying you don't like my style of argument.

Are these new UK FTAs good or bad?

[dbgtz]

yes i dont particularly like it when people make things up about me and (likely) deliberately intend to mislead

aside from the nz deal i never stated whether it could be a good or bad thing, ive simply asked the value. youve then taken that to me being "unpatriotic" and somehow think that only half of the trade deals of the eu being rolled over is a big win. and by the way, the fact they are rolled over supports my point of the eu larger sphere of influence. i never once said we couldnt get x trade deals. you just dont read what gets said, that or you ignore it and go on a tangent you think you can "win" and that is why im bored (and the lies)