N.Z. speed in China urged

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 10

N.Z. speed in China urged

PA Wellington The president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Mr Syd McCrone, says he has returned from a visit to China with two messages — one for business, the other for the Government. His advice to business is to move quickly to take advantage of what is destined to be the biggest market in the world. His message to the Government is that New Zealand is going to be “up against it” as an international trader as long as it persists with its freemarket philosophies. “We are competing in a world where trade is seen as an important element of Government policy. China will be a massive market for imports and exports. While its Government has a hands-on policy for its development, we seem to stand alone,” Mr McCrone said. As president of the

Chamber, Mr McCrone was a senior delegate on the civic, business and .cultural mission which visited Beijing, Tianjin and Xiamen. In the short term, New Zealand importers were likely to have more success in China than exporters. "However, opportunities for our manufactured exports appear more limited, with the exception of food exports and agriculture and horticulture technology. In fact we are already losing our manufactured exports to places like China.” Mr McCrone said the success of both importers and exporters would depend on their commitment to spend time in China patiently building up trust and confidence.

“There will not be any quick sales or purchases, but interest in this market will pay dividends to those prepared to invest the time and effort.”