New Zealand Prime Minister said she is "optimistic" that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks with China "will make good progress" in the coming year.

She said this Thursday night at a closed meeting to the Asia Pacific Business Network and her speech was released Friday morning.

Clark told attendees that the Joint Study New Zealand did before beginning negotiations estimated that the removal of barriers faced by exporters in the Chinese market could boost New Zealand exports by up to 400 million NZ dollars (US$280 million) per year, a 25 percent increase on current levels.

"Our economic relationship with China is of course about much more than trade in goods. Our service exports are already significant -- in excess of half a billion dollars. And New Zealanders have an increasing direct stake in the Chinese economy," said Clark.

New Zealand and China began FTA talks last year and the fifth round negotiations ended in Wellington on December 1 The two sides talked about good and service trade, customs cooperation.

Clark said she was satisfied with the process of the talks, noting when the negotiations were launched, it was made clear that they would be complex.

She said China is a developing country and its negotiation with New Zealand is the first it has entered into with a developed country. So there are "high stakes for China in this negotiation and high stakes for us."

"Reconciling our approaches to produce an agreement, which is both in New Zealand's national interest and in the mutual interest of both negotiating partners will take some time," said Clark.

"But both governments are committed at the highest level to this objective and, based on the process to date," said Clark.

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2005)