Visiting Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark said in Hong Kong Friday that New Zealand will enter the 10th round of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talk with China in January and she hoped her country to become the first developed nation to conclude an FTA with China.

"A successful conclusion to the Doha Round negotiations is so important, but a wider regional process of liberalization like FTA could temper some of the risks and costs of bilateral deals," Clark said when delivering an address entitled "Enhancing New Zealand's Place in Asia" at a business breakfast meeting in Hong Kong.

"Like Hong Kong, we see the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the preferred route for opening up trade because the benefits of its decisions are their wide application," she said. "We very much hope that the current talks in Geneva at the technical level will lead to movement on the Doha Round."

However, when asked whether New Zealand has a time frame for its FTA talks with China, Clark said, "I don't think any time frame is helpful, it takes as long as it takes to conclude."

"It always seems to be an issue depending on negotiations that we have to go through, but we still remain optimistic," she said.

New Zealand concluded FTAs with Singapore in 2001 and with Thailand in 2003.

New Zealand was also the first nation to conclude a bilateral WTO accession agreement with China, the first to recognize China's market economy status and the first developed nation to enter FTA negotiations with China.

When asked about China's performance five years after its WTO accession, Clark said, "We regarded it is extremely important to have China with the WTO for international trading system and China has to be in."

In her address at the business meeting jointly presented by the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Clark vowed to enhance New Zealand's foothold in the region.

"New Zealand increasingly sees itself as part of broader East Asian regionalism and we are continually looking for new ways to deepen our relationship with the region," Clark said. "We see ourselves as part of the overall region, and New Zealand seeks to be part of that broader community building in East Asia."

"East Asia is already playing a big part in our lives, and will be increasingly important to us in the future," she added.

According to New Zealand's official figures, Asia is currently home to 10 of New Zealand's top 20 markets and New Zealand's exports into the region have doubled since 1990, accounting for just under 40 percent of its export trade.

Meanwhile, Asia is contributing to New Zealand's fast-changing demography, according to New Zealand's 2006 Census results. A 50 percent increase in the number of Asian New Zealanders was recorded over the past 10 years, comprising 9.2 percent of the country's population, and that figure is expected to grow to 15 percent by 2020.

"Asian exports into New Zealand have grown strongly. New Zealand exports to the region have not matched the rate of growth in regional markets," Clark said. "We want to do better."