Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman says Australia signing a new free trade deal is of great significance for the nation because it relates to China and involves 30 per cent of the world’s economy.
The new deal – signed by 15 nations, including Australia and China, on Sunday – will give businesses and universities better access to some of Asia’s biggest economies.
“This is an agreement that is bringing in 30 per cent of the world’s economy to new freer trade arrangements and that’s going to be so vitally important to the Australian economy as we go forward,” Mr Zimmerman told Sky News.
“What I would hope is that this serves as at least a reminder to China of its obligations both under the bilateral free trade agreement that we have with China but now under these arrangements as well.
“The type of ad hoc discriminatory decision making that was seen over the last few months isn’t in the spirit or the letter of the agreements that are already in place.
“A written agreement is only as good as the practice and that’s what we need to see China implement as well.”
