On Tuesday, Ambassador Kirk met with New Zealand Minister of Trade Tim Groser. The United States shares a strong relationship with New Zealand, and is working to further develop regional and bilateral trade policies. The Ambassador and Minister discussed our bilateral trade relationship, the WTO Doha Development Round negotiations, and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) talks.
They also discussed the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. TPP is a regional free trade agreement between the United States and seven Asia-Pacific countries, including New Zealand. The second round of TPP negotiations were held in San Francisco in June, and the next round is scheduled to take place in Brunei in October. Successful conclusion of the TPP agreement, which will serve as a platform for economic integration across the Asia-Pacific region, can help America ensure its share of the job-creating economic opportunities this region has to offer.
U.S. goods and services trade with New Zealand totaled $9.2 billion in 2008 (latest data available total trade data).
Ambassador Kirk and Minister Groser
