Trade facilitation

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will address non-tariff barriers on New Zealand’s exports to CPTPP markets.

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Self-certification for NZ exporters

There is no requirement for third-party certification of origin under CPTPP. Instead, New Zealand exporters will simply need to self-certify that the exported product meets the CPTPP rules of origin in order to qualify for tariff preference. There is no required format for this self-certification, but certain minimum data requirements identifying the goods must be met.

Customs administration

The Customs chapter requires each Party to ensure its customs procedures are applied in a way that is predictable, consistent and transparent. This should lead to a lower cost of trade, simplified customs procedures for traders, and the expeditious clearance of goods (with commitments to release normal trade within 48 hours and express shipments within 6 hours).

The Customs chapter encourages cooperation and information sharing between customs agencies of Parties, and contains provisions allowing importers to obtain an advance ruling on specified matters and to access administrative and judicial review processes.

More information can be found here [PDF, 44 KB].

Safeguard measures

During a transition period after CPTPP’s entry into force, a Party may apply safeguard measures with respect to another Party’s imported goods (which involves temporarily raising the tariff applying to the imported goods), if, as a result of the reduction and elimination of tariffs under CPTPP, there is an increase in imports causing or threatening to cause serious injury to the Party’s domestic industry. There is a non-binding annex that identifies a range of practices that promote the goals of transparency and due process in anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings.

Elimination of export subsidies

CPTPP Parties have agreed to eliminate the use of export subsidies within the CPTPP region.

Biosecurity and food standards

Sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS) are used to protect human, animal or plant life or health by preventing the introduction of pests and diseases, and to help ensure food is safe for consumption. 

CPTPP ensures that SPS measures implemented by each Party are based on scientific principles and do not create unjustified obstacles to trade.

Technical barriers to trade

Standards, regulations and conformity assessment procedures can act as technical barriers to trade (TBT).

The TBT chapter builds on the Parties’ existing rights and obligations in the World Trade Organization TBT Agreement, and seeks to eliminate unnecessary technical barriers to trade, enhance transparency, and promote regulatory cooperation and good regulatory practice.

The TBT chapter includes seven sectoral annexes aimed at reducing unnecessary barriers to trade in these products:

  • Wine and Distilled Spirits
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Medical Devices
  • Cosmetics
  • Proprietary Formulas for Prepackaged Food and Food Additives
  • Information and Communications Technology Products
  • Organic Products

For example, the Wine and Distilled Spirits annex seeks to minimise unnecessary technical barriers to trade, with a particular focus on labelling requirements, which will simplify the sale and export of New Zealand wines in CPTPP markets and reduce costs for New Zealand wine producers exporting to CPTPP Parties. It also contains a production standard for ‘ice wine’ which limits this designation to wine made from grapes naturally frozen on the vine. For New Zealand, these requirements will only apply to exported wine, not domestic sales.

Trade remedies

CPTPP Parties retain their rights and obligations under the World Trade Organization agreements on anti-dumping, countervailing duties and global safeguards.

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