Singapore fair N.Z.’s Asian trade platform

Press, 2 August 1977, Page 3

Singapore fair N.Z.’s Asian trade platform

NZPA staff correspondent, Singapore The New Zealand Industries Exhibition in Singapore was used yesterday as a diplomatic forum for emphasising New Zealand’s wish for a closer trading relationship with the Association of South-East Asian Nations. The New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore (Mr Gerald Hensley) said in opening the exhibition that it was intended to introduce New Zealand’s manufactured goods to other A.S.E.A.N. countries, as well as Singapore.

He also emphasised the two-way growth in trade between New Zealand and the group. “New Zealand sales to A.S.E.A.N. have risen 400 per cent in the last five years, but A.S.E.A.N. sales to New Zealand have done even better. They have grown by 1000 per cent over the same period,” he said. Mr Hensley said that the two-way trade had been “roughly in balance” for the last three or four years. This diplomatic message of a balanced trading relationship was intended to make it clear that, unlike Australia, which is coming under strong A.S.E.A.N. criticism for its protectionist trade policies, New Zealand holds an equal export-import relationship with the group.

Mr Hensley described the broad range of manufactured products displayed by nearly 100 exporters at the exhibition.

The products include jet boats, air pollution control equipment, agricultural machinery and fire-fighting equipment, ceramics, brushware, computer ribbons, furniture, floor coverings, foodstuffs, starches, high-speed metal-cutting saws, forklifts, rock crushing and grading machinery, diesel engines, small yachts, packaging machinery, kitchen equipment, table lights, and office lighting systems.

New Zealand officials and businessmen they walked through the displays commenting on the showing. Mr Bruce Smith of the Bank of New Zealand, described the display as “an eye-opener” in terms of the range and quality of the goods on display. The predominant colours at the exhibition are yellow and green. The background boards at exhibition stands feature these colours, and businessmen showing their goods and trade commissioners are wearing ties featuring yellow and green stripes. Some New Zealanders voiced concern that the colours were Australian ones, but exhibition designers said that the colours had been chosen to fit in with local colour preferences. Singaporean businessmen said that they found the products to be of top quality, workmanship. and design, but they said that in some cases the prices asked would not be competitive with supplies from other countries. Singaporean manufac-

turers have also expressed resentment about New Zealand’s import licensing scheme. An official of the Singapore Manufacturers’ Association emphasised that the licensing scheme is a major hindrance to the association’s efforts to build up export trade with New Zealand.

He said that Singaporeart exporters found that because of the scheme, it was extremely difficult to challenge the traditional trading relationship New Zealand importers had with European sellers.

New Zealand had argued that it was up to overseas exporters to convince the businessmen holding import licences they were a better source of supply than existing suppliers. In practice, the official said, that was very difficult to do, because of the close relationship built up between the traditional supplier and his importer.

The manufacturers’ spokesman also said that New Zealand exporters would probably be invited to

i take part in a major A.S.E.A.N. trade fair set for : Manila about the middle of | next year. ■ The organisers of the fair ’intended that New Zealand 'should be invited to particii pate with companies of the [A.S.E.A.N. group. , A concert party supplied iby the New Zealand force in Singapore last evening entertained more than 150 guests of the New Zealand High Commission in Singapore.

At a special function to mark the opening of the exhibition, Maori musicians and dancers kept up a lively beat while guests dined barbecue style on New Zealand foods.

Singaporean and New Zealand businessmen and officials mixed freely, some opening up potential sales deals and other reviewing trade prospects within the A.S.E.A.N. group.

The exhibition will remain open until Saturday, and will be visited by the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) on his way to the A.S.E.A.N. summit meeting at Kuala Lumpur.