Negotiating Free Trade: The New Zealand - Singapore CEP Agreement

Governments increasingly are turning to free trade agreements as a means of achieving international market access.  Leaders find that they are economically beneficial, diplomatically feasible, and politically achievable.  And they set good examples internationally.  But they require skilful negotiation and legitimation.  This book is a case study of how an exceptionally progressive free trade agreement was negotiated, expeditiously, in the face of domestic political scepticism.  And shy.  It shows that although both New Zealand and Singapore preferred multilateral liberalisation through the WTO, they found a bilateral trade agreement served their interests in the interim.  The book covers the following topics:

• The appeal of free trade agreements
• The nature of negotiations
• New Zealand-Singapore relations
• Motives and agenda-setting
• Political influences and controversies
• Negotiation problems and solutions
• Legitimation and ratification challenges
• Implementation and outcomes
• Lessons learned