As Prime Minister John Key works to progress a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea that will include agriculture, he says multi-lateral are still his preference.New Zealand had always favoured multi-lateral agreements and wanted to see Doha comple
As Prime Minister John Key works to progress a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea that will include agriculture, he says multi-lateral are still his preference.
New Zealand had always favoured multi-lateral agreements and wanted to see Doha completed, Mr Key said.
Doha negotiations began in 2001 and aim to reduce trade barriers globally.
However, negotiations have been largely stalled for two years.
"If a multi-lateral negotiation like Doha is in freeze-frame and progress isn't being made, and that's the situation that we've had, Doha's been parked up on ice for the better part of the last two years, then our options are either do nothing or reach out on either a regional deal or a bi-lateral deal," Mr Key said.
New Zealand could not afford to sit back and wait for the major countries to agree.
"If we could get trade ministers around the table, seriously negotiating a conclusion to Doha, Tim Groser would be on a plane faster than he can say 'vote national'."
Meanwhile, New Zealand's FTA negotiations with South Korea continue.
Mr Key met with President Lee Myung-bak yesterday and stressed the importance to New Zealand that agriculture be included in those negotiations.
The two men talked for 90 minutes and spoke, almost exclusively on the FTA.
Mr Key said agriculture was back on the table for negotiations.
Talks over the FTA had largely stalled because of concerns about the domestic South Korean agriculture sector.
Mr Key said an FTA without agriculture would not be acceptable to New Zealand.
He said New Zealand's exports to South Korea would be competing with Australian, European and United States goods there, not domestically produced ones.
Negotiations were likely to be tough but would be kicked off again when Trade Minister Tim Groser meets his South Korean counterpart within two months.
Mr Key and Mr Lee identified green technology and energy such as geothermal, wind and solar energy and broadband as areas the two countries could work together.
"We're not arguing about our desire to complete a deal, I think we're unified in that view.
"We're arguing, or at least debating, about what the terms of that deal might look like."
South Korea has the 13th largest economy in the world and a FTA with them was worth New Zealand going after, Mr Key said.
Australia, the European Union and the United States were all negotiating their own FTAs with South Korea.
Mr Key said the small size of New Zealand compared to those countries was always an issue.
But, he said, it would not undermine the strong historical relationship New Zealand had with South Korea.
Mr Key will speak at the Korea New Zealand business roundtable event today. He departs Seoul for Beijing, China tomorrow.
(Kate Chapman travelled to Korea with the help of funding from the Asia New Zealand Foundation)
