Opinion

worked hard for years getting us membership of various regional clubs, yet we see in the UK a country deciding to leave one of the biggest and wealthiest of clubs.

Whilst I’m generally pessimistic (I would say cautious) when it comes to international affairs, and despite all of the above, I in fact feel quite optimistic about 2019 – in Asia and New Zealand at least.

Yes, there are geopolitical issues in the Asia-Pacific region that could have a real impact on our ability to do business or build partnerships in the region or affect the way we operate.

And yes, there are a number of important elections coming up in Asia this year, there are human rights crises brewing in various pockets of the region, and it’s unclear how the USChina trade war will be resolved.

But the sheer size of China’s market and the demand inelasticity for much of what we sell (food, ingredients, raw materials) should mean that if their economy slows, New Zealand goods would be one of the last to be affected by consumer demand. If New Zealand was a car exporter or produced high-end luxury goods you might feel a bit more nervous.

Important, too, as impressive as China is, Asia is not just China.

We’ve recently signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (the rebranded TPP, now known as CPTPP).

Five Asian countries have signed the CPTPP. Most significantly for New Zealand, the agreement gives us access to Japan, the third-largest economy in the world after the United States and China. Tariffs on goods ranging from beef to wine will be steadily dropped for New Zealand producers exporting to Japan, a multimillion-dollar boost to their industries.

New Zealand exports are also doing well under free-trade agreements with South Korea and Taiwan.

The 600 million consumers in