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New Zealand's New Leader to Visit China

by Phil Mercer

   Sydney --

   New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Monday he would lead a
   delegation to China, the first since the start of the COVID-19
   pandemic.

   The two countries have an established trading relationship; the New
   Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement came into force in October 2008.

   New Zealand's exports to China are worth more than $12.8 billion, or a
   quarter of the country's total export earnings, according to government
   data.

   New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said the bilateral
   relationship with China was one of his country's "most significant,
   wide-ranging and complex"

   Hipkins will travel to three Chinese cities on an official visit later
   this month.

   He told reporters in Wellington on Monday that it would be a
   significant visit.

   "Today I can announce that I will be leading a major trade delegation
   to China at the end of this month with stops in Beijing, Tianjin and
   Shanghai," he said. "It will be the first prime ministerial level visit
   to China since the COVID-19 global pandemic began and New Zealand's
   first prime minister-led trade delegation there since 2016."

   Hipkins said the trade delegation also would include representatives
   from the education and tourism industries.

   Before the COVID-19 pandemic, China was New Zealand's second-largest
   source of visitors behind Australia. In January 2023, it ranked
   seventh, according to official statistics. But a recovery in the sector
   is expected now that New Zealand's borders have re-opened.

   Hipkins also said he was keen for New Zealand to diversify its trade
   with China.

   "The export of traditional goods like dairy, meat and wood to China are
   incredibly important but it is also very critical that we throw our
   support behind emerging sectors like gaming and health and wellness."

   Hipkins did not confirm if he would be meet Chinese President Xi
   Jinping. But he did stress that he would raise human rights concerns
   with Chinese officials when appropriate. He also urged Beijing to help
   bring Russia's "illegal and unjust war" in Ukraine to an end.

   The New Zealand prime minister, who leads a left-leaning government in
   Wellington, said he would also attend the NATO meeting in Vilnius,
   Lithuania, in July.