‘Vital’ talks in G.A.T.T.

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33219, 8 May 1973, Page 2

‘Vital’ talks in G.A.T.T.

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 7. The next round of GA.T.T. talks and the 1975 Common Market price negotiations would settle New Zealand’s trading and economic future for the next 20 years, the Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Walding) said in Auckland today after returning from a six-week tour of China, Japan, South Korea, Europe, and the United States.

He said officials were already preparing the ground for a meeting of G.A.T.T. signatory Ministers in September to reach a new agreement on trade and tariffs. He said he had hopes that the desire of the United States to get easier access to the European market for its produce would result in an easing of present United States restrictions on the import of dairy produce. His talks in Europe were aimed at pointing out the in-

justice of the present pricing arrangement for New Zealand products, which had been compounded by the “de facto devaluation” of sterling. “Things are never satisfactory when there is a glaring injustice of this kind to be righted,” he said. “The longterm prospect for trade with Europe and the United States is great, but we’ve got to keep on the ball. “The United States is preaching an open-door policy for dairy products. If they want other countries to open their doors then they’ve go to open some doors themselves.” While his trade talks were vitally important to the country’s future, the Minister considered his visit to China to be more significant diplomatically. He said the Chinese had made no mention of the fact that the two nations had occupied positions on opposite sides of the diplomatic fence for many years. “They seemed to appreciate that we made moves toward establishing diplomatic contact within two weeks of becoming the Government,” he said. China was not a great trading nation, but there could be openings for trade in New Zealand’s traditional dairy products. New Zealand has agreed to send a trade delegation to China, and the Chinese had made no demands that existing links with Taiwan be severed as a prerequisite to closer ties. On nuclear testing, Mr Walding said he made clear to the Chinese the New Zealand policy of working toward a total ban. “They said that if the countries that already possessed nuclear weapons were prepared to destroy these, they would be prepared to talk about stopping their test programme,” he said.