If completed, the deal will cover 3.4 billion people and about 40 per cent of the world's gross domestic product. New Zealand has a standing position of not signing up to free trade agreements with too many carve outs or exemptions. "It is regrettable negotiating partners were unable to conclude an acceptable market access outcome with India at this time," Jacinda Ardern said. India has some concerns about the level of trade that might occur there without an ability of India to counter some of that growth in trade", he said. That capped off other bilateral meetings throughout the day with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at which an update to the New Zealand China FTA was announced, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

Source: Stuff November 04, 2019 14:45 UTC