Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

NZ On the Wrong Side at WTO Ministerial Meeting in Argentina

NZ On the Wrong Side of the Only Outcomes From WTO Ministerial Meeting in Argentina


By Jane Kelsey

13 December 2017 -‘The World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Buenos Aires has concluded without a formal statement. This reflects the deep divide between poorer countries who have demanded that WTO members deliver on their promises to address outstanding development issues’, Auckland University law professor Jane Kelsey reports from the meeting.

‘Richer countries, including New Zealand, sought to leave those promises behind and move on with negotiations on rules of commercial interest to them’.

Two side-statements have been issued today by those countries, one on electronic commerce and another that proposes ‘disciplines’ on how governments can regulate their services.

‘Sadly, New Zealand is a signatory to both statements’, according to Professor Kelsey.

A Joint Statement on Electronic Commerce was supported by only 70 of the 164 WTO Members. The majority of developing countries held firm against massive pressure, led by Japan, Australia and Singapore, to launch negotiations on electronic commerce in the WTO. Their proposals were designed for, and largely by, the Big Tech companies.

They plan to hold ‘exploratory work towards future WTO negotiations’, even though there is no mandate from the Ministerial Conference to take e-commerce any further than the ‘discussions’ that are currently authorised.

This repeats the tactics used in the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), where a self-selected group of countries took it upon themselves to rewrite the trade in services rules of the WTO in ways that intrude deeply on nations’ right to regulate and without any development dimension. Those negotiations have been suspended for over a year.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

The collapse of TiSA is partly behind the second statement on Domestic Regulation Disciplines. New Zealand has been a cheerleader of these negotiations under successive government.

It was among a small group of countries that took the most hard-line position that government’s licensing requirements and procedures and technical standards should be subject to a ‘necessity test’. Decided, that means regulations that are least burdensome for business – a repeat of the light-handed, risk-tolerant approach that official inquiries show have brought us Pike River, leaky buildings, deaths in the forestry sector. The only specified goal is the ‘quality’ of the service.

‘It is shameful that the new Labour-led government has been willing to play a leading role in signing up to these statements at the WTO’.


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.