A Chinese trade expert and former diplomat has criticised America's leadership of trade talks that include New Zealand.
Wu Zhenglong says the TransPacific Partnership is doomed to fail because the US is pushing its own commercial interests at the expense of other countries.
His criticism appears in the Communist Party paper the People's Daily.
In the article, he says the many developing countries in the talks are finding it difficult to meet US demands on state owned enterprises and intellectual property.
International relations expert Robert Ayson of Victoria University says China's leadership often uses newspaper opinion pieces to make clear its position on issues.
But he says the true position of the leadership may not be uniform, with some opposed to the TransPacific Partnership and others seeing the potential for China to join.
Trade Minister Tim Groser has previously said New Zealand will walk away from the talks if it becomes a US strategy to contain China.
