NZIBF’s submission to MFAT on the New Zealand UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations.
RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAINS – FROM THE 9th CENTURY TO THE 21st
I am spending some extended time in Singapore. This gives me the opportunity to see things from the vantage point of this amazing trade hub of the Asia Pacific. From the sight from the plane of container ships – lots and lots of them – in the harbour, to the great cross-roads which is Changi Airport, to the expansive Port of Singapore which hugs the city’s foreshore (a part of which is being moved, don’t tell the Mayor of Auckland), this city is all about trade.
Trade isn’t a new thing here
A visit to the Asian Civilisations Museum offered insight into Singapore’s rich trading history. The Tang Shipwreck was discovered only in 1998. It contained a shipment of 60,000 ceramics manufactured all over China and destined for Iran and Iraq. The goods were manufactured one thousand years ago, clearly indicating that even then South East Asia was at the heart of a global maritime trading network. What is equally impressive are the logistics and financial system able to make this ancient supply chain work – in China itself and into the Middle East. What ingenuity was required to get these highly prized goods from supplier to customer – right down to the packaging, with individual ceramic items carefully stacked in large urns and which remained unbroken even as this particular vessel sank. (They fared better than the crew who lived on deck and probably drowned).
The Tang cargo is a testament to the capability of early Chinese entrepreneurs – maybe those around the world who dream of “decoupling” might reflect on this. These people have been in business for 1000 years and more !
The Tang cargo is a testament to the capability of early Chinese entrepreneurs – maybe those around the world who dream of “decoupling” might reflect on this. These people have been in business for 1000 years and more !
From connectivity to resilience
At the height of the pandemic, when the ships waiting in the Waitemata Harbour were a sign of disruption, we heard a lot about supply chain resilience. Suddenly we found we couldn’t simply order something online and expect it to arrive within days. New Zealand, as the last bus stop on the planet, found itself at the end of a very long supply chain with inevitable consequences. The same thing worked in reverse – getting our products to market became both tricky and expensive but as the trade statistics were to show, solutions were found and trade underpinned the health of the economy.
Policy makers also focused on what is needed to create resilient supply chains. Minimising red tape and speeding up customs clearances were all sensible strategies – sensible at any time but especially so during the pandemic. Building on our already close trade partnership, New Zealand and Singapore reached new agreements on supply chain co-operation.
Digital is the new Tang
One particularly useful tool can be found within the digital economy. Replacing the large amount of paper documentation which accompanies goods as they travel through supply chains can result in significant cost savings and avoidance of time-consuming delays when documents gets lost. Each trade transaction can be accompanied by up to thirty different documents, the most significant of which are commercial invoices, bills of lading, certificates of origin, sanitary and phystosanitary certificates and financial documents. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), there are an estimated 4 billion paper-based documents that are being processed at any one point in time around the world. That’s a boon for courier companies and a bother for exporters.
The solution is to move to trusted and secure “paperless trade” – or more correctly the exchange of data in the form of “electronic transferable records”. There are various technologies available but plenty of barriers, including differing standards and the lack of enabling regulatory systems. It’s probably no surprise that Singapore is a leader in this field. New Zealand however is lagging behind other jurisdictions with no effort being made to update our own regulatory system to facilitate the adoption of these new and powerful solutions. That needs to change if we are to retain our competitive position in global markets.
Trade is a continually evolving game. From the earliest times supply chains fostered international exchanges of goods, people and ideas and fuelled economic and social development. Today Singapore still has the advantage of its strategic location at the cross-roads of the world’s most dynamic region. In a model New Zealand could usefully follow, Singapore is also increasingly looking to digital technology to ensure that it remains a global leader in supply chain connectivity and resilience.
This post was prepared by Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director of the NZ International Business Forum. In March 2023 Stephen attended the ICC Future Trade Forum held in Singapore.
REGISTER WITH TRADE WORKS
Register to stay up to date with latest news, as well as saving and discussing articles you’re interested in.
Latest News
SUBMISSION TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE – APRIL 2024
NEW ZEALAND-UAE COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF), whose members are listed at Annex A[1]. NZIBF is a forum of senior business leaders working together...
NEW TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND LEADERSHIP FORUM
Media release, 2 April 2024 The New Zealand Co-Chair of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF), Greg Lowe, welcomes the appointment of Stephen Jacobi and Simon Le Quesne to the New Zealand arm of the ANZLF Secretariat. The ANZLF brings business leaders,...
NZ/EU FTA A BONUS FOR SOME SECTORS – BUSINESS FORUM
Media release, 22 March 2024 The NZ International Business Forum (NZIBF) acknowledges the passage of the implementing legislation for the New Zealand/European Union Free Trade Agreement and looks forward to the FTA’s entry into force on 1 May. “This agreement was...
“MEAGRE OUTCOME” FROM WTO IN ABU DHABI – BUSINESS FORUM
Media release, 2 March 2024 Despite its overwhelming importance at the heart of the international trade system, members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have concluded their Ministerial in Abu Dhabi (“MC13”) with only a meagre outcome. NZ International Business...
To go or woe with the WTO?
We’ve been here before with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The global trade body’s 13th Ministerial meeting (“MC13”) opens in Abu Dhabi on Monday 26 February, with Trade Minister McClay serving as Vice-Chair. In recent weeks diplomats, trade...
DCANZ – Agricultural Subsidy Distortions Must Be Addressed
23 February 2024 - Media Release by the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) As the world’s Trade Ministers head to a WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi, the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) is calling for an immediate capping of agricultural...
Asia-Pacific business leaders call for greater economic dynamism with people at the center of the APEC agenda
16 February 2024 - APEC NEWS RELEASE Issued by The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), meeting this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, expressed deep concerns about the growing pressures of economic fragmentation and the risks...
SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE COMMITTEE – FEBRUARY 2024
NEW ZEALAND EUROPEAN UNION FREE TRADE AGREEMENT LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL Introduction and Summary This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) and Export NZ. NZIBF is a forum of senior business leaders working...
ABAC Statement on WTO MC13 – February 2024
Now, more than ever, the world needs a credible, relevant, and effective multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. In this era of global challenges, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) recognizes that the WTO is...
Global Industry Statement on the WTO Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions
NZIBF has joined 170 international business associations in calling for an extension to the current moratorium on tariffs applying to digital services (like Netflix) at the forthcoming WTO Ministerial meeting. The undersigned associations urge WTO members to support...
Resilient supply chains: Yesterday, today and tomorrow
Published by the Hinrich Foundation, Singapore, 23 August 2024 By Stephen Jacobi History has much to teach us about the way trade contributes to prosperity through the movement of goods, services, people, and ideas. Today, data can be added to this web of...
SUBMISSION TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE
GENERAL REVIEW OF THE COMPREHENSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE AGREEMENT FOR TRANS- PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (CPTPP) DECEMBER 2023 Summary This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF). As individual NZIBF Members may make their own...
Todd McClay – your trade mission, should you choose to accept it …
As published by Newsroom 19 December 2023 By Stephen Jacobi “Twas the week before Christmas, When all through the house Not a creature was stirring, Except busy trade officials … ‘Tis the season to be “BiM-ing”* and the NZ International Business Forum has sent its...
2023 – Steps forward and back
Trade liberalisation moved forward and backward in 2023. Some notable gains have been achieved for New Zealand, but war, geo-political rivalry and global inflation continue to depress global markets. While the pandemic continued to lurk in the shadows, 2023 was the...
NZIBF releases Brief to the Incoming Minister of Trade
DECEMBER 2023...