34th China-New Zealand Economic and Trade Joint Committee Meeting Held

Summary

On 5 June 2026, Li Chenggang, International Trade Negotiation Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce of China, and Mao Rui, Deputy Secretary of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, co-chaired the 34th China-New Zealand Economic and Trade Joint Committee in Beijing. They exchanged in-depth views on deepening bilateral economic and trade relations and enhancing cooperation in regional and multilateral areas. Li Chenggang noted that the meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Luxon in June 2025 set new directions for bilateral relations, and both sides should leverage the Joint Committee mechanism to promote trade and investment cooperation, and advance negotiations on a negative list for services trade under the Free Trade Agreement.

Under the current international economic and trade situation, China and New Zealand should jointly defend the multilateral trading system centred on the World Trade Organization, and strengthen collaboration within regional frameworks such as APEC. Mao Rui pointed out that China has long remained New Zealand's largest trading partner and largest source of international students, and China's sustained and stable economic growth is crucial for New Zealand. New Zealand is willing to further expand bilateral economic and trade cooperation, accelerate the negative list negotiations on services trade, and welcome more Chinese enterprises to invest and operate in New Zealand.

No specific quantitative outcomes were announced at the meeting; details of subsequent negotiations are yet to be revealed.

Commentary

The convening of the China-New Zealand Economic and Trade Joint Committee has sent a positive signal of stable bilateral relations. For small and medium enterprise (SME) owners, the negative list negotiations on services trade are a key focus: if the list is further reduced, New Zealand's service export enterprises in education, tourism, logistics, etc., will gain clearer market access rules and greater market space. However, the negotiation timeline is uncertain; businesses should not blindly bet on short-term breakthroughs but should instead sort out their own service advantages in advance, monitor China's regulatory developments, and use the Joint Committee mechanism to provide feedback on industry demands.

Meanwhile, China's reaffirmation of the multilateral trading system implies that tariff barriers may remain low in the future, which is positive for bulk exporters of dairy products, meat, etc., but vigilance is needed against sudden trade restrictions arising from geopolitical fluctuations. It is recommended that SME owners track negotiation progress through channels such as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and consider diversifying their portfolios to reduce dependence on a single market.

Keywords: 34th Economic and Trade Joint Committee, China-New Zealand economic and trade cooperation, negative list for services trade, Li Chenggang, Mao Rui, bilateral trade, multilateral trading system, APEC

Source: Embassy of the People's Republic of China in New Zealand – Bilateral Relations