Chengdu, Auckland chamber forge long-term mechanism to drive trade links

Summary

Chengdu hosted the "Open Chengdu · Linking the World" China-New Zealand trade and business matchmaking conference on 7 September, where a 20-strong trade delegation led by Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Simon Bridges met more than 80 representatives from Chengdu government departments, industry associations and companies to discuss industrial cooperation. The Chengdu Centre for Opening-up and Cooperation Promotion set out its "five-pronged foreign-related linkage" system, while the Chengdu Investment Promotion Bureau outlined the local business environment, investment opportunities and policy support. Bridges said the delegation brought leading companies in biomedicine, green building, food, clean energy, cybersecurity and snow-and-ice tourism, and looked forward to connecting with Chengdu firms.

During the event, the Chengdu centre awarded the Auckland Chamber an "Open Chengdu" overseas partner plaque, with the two sides to build a long-term cooperation mechanism covering trade information sharing, business delegation exchanges and industrial cooperation. In a pitch session, five New Zealand companies and five Chengdu companies presented products and technologies, followed by one-on-one talks covering biomedicine, food trade, building materials and home furnishings, and green energy. Chengdu and New Zealand have a long history of engagement: a friendly cooperation relationship with the Waikato region in 1996, a sister-city agreement with Hamilton in 2015 that marks its eleventh anniversary this year, and the resumption of direct Chengdu-Auckland flights in 2024.

China has long been New Zealand's largest goods trading partner, and Sichuan's cooperation with New Zealand is deepening across food trade, tourism and culture, education and technology.

Commentary

Chengdu's long-term cooperation mechanism with the Auckland Chamber of Commerce gives New Zealand small and medium-sized enterprises a concrete entry point into China's western market. The chamber's 20-member delegation spans biomedicine, green building, food, clean energy, cybersecurity and snow-and-ice tourism — sectors that align closely with New Zealand's strengths. Food is a case in point: New Zealand dairy, meat and honey products are well recognised in China, but major exporters such as Fonterra and Zespri dominate the main channels, leaving SMEs short of the ability to plug directly into inland distribution networks.

Chengdu, a consumption hub for western China with a catchment of more than 200 million people and direct air links to Auckland for both freight and passengers, keeps trade costs for fresh food and tourism services relatively manageable. Through trade information sharing and business exchanges under the "five-pronged foreign-related linkage" system, SMEs can cut the cost of trial and error in early market research — though China's complex registration, labelling and quarantine requirements for food imports mean compliance costs should not be underestimated. On the other side, Chengdu's green building and clean energy markets are growing quickly, and New Zealand has mature experience in timber building materials and geothermal technology.

But domestic suppliers and European and American competitors are already well established, and price competition is intense. New Zealand firms entering with high-end, sustainable solutions need to assess local certification and project delivery timelines in advance. The mechanism's long-term value lies in reducing information asymmetry, but whether it converts into actual orders depends on each company's localisation efforts and follow-through.

With direct flights restored, business travel between the two places is easier — a direct boost for sectors that depend on the movement of people, such as snow-and-ice tourism and education services.

Keywords: Chengdu, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, China-New Zealand trade cooperation, Open Chengdu, long-term cooperation mechanism, trade matchmaking, Simon Bridges, five-pronged foreign-related linkage, sister city, direct flights

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

9月7日，“开放成都·链接全球”中新经贸合作对接洽谈会在成都举行，新西兰奥克兰商会首席执行官西蒙·布里吉斯率20人经贸代表团参会，与成都80余位相关部门、行业协会及企业代表围绕产业合作交流。成都市对外开放合作促进中心推介“五外联动”体系，成都市投资促进局介绍营商环境、投资机遇与政策支持。布里吉斯表示，代表团带来生物医药、绿色建筑、食品工业、清洁能源、网络安全、冰雪旅游等领域领先企业，期待与成都企业对接。

活动期间，成都市对外开放合作促进中心向奥克兰商会授予“开放成都”海外合作伙伴铭牌，双方将在经贸信息共享、企业互访对接、产业合作促进等方面建立长期合作机制。路演环节，5家新西兰企业和5家成都企业展示产品与技术；随后双方围绕生物医药、食品贸易、建材家居、绿色能源等一对一洽谈。成都与新西兰交往已久，1996年与怀卡托大区建立友好合作关系，2015年与哈密尔顿市缔结友好城市，今年恰逢结好十一周年；2024年成都至奥克兰直航恢复。

中国长期是新西兰第一大货物贸易伙伴，四川与新西兰在食品贸易、文旅、教育、科技等领域合作日益紧密。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

成都与奥克兰商会建立长期合作机制，为新西兰中小企业进入中国西部市场提供了一个具体入口。奥克兰商会此次率领的20人代表团覆盖生物医药、绿色建筑、食品工业、清洁能源、网络安全和冰雪旅游等领域，与新西兰的优势产业高度重合。以食品工业为例，新西兰乳制品、肉类、蜂蜜等产品在中国拥有较高认知度，但恒天然、佳沛等大型出口商占据主要渠道，中小企业往往缺乏直接对接中国内陆分销网络的能力。

成都作为中国西部消费中心，其辐射人口超过两亿，且拥有直达奥克兰的货运与客运航线，生鲜食品和旅游服务的贸易成本相对可控。通过“五外联动”体系中的经贸信息共享和企业互访，中小企业可以降低前期市场调研的试错成本，但需注意中国食品进口的注册、标签和检验检疫要求复杂，合规成本不容忽视。另一方面，成都的绿色建筑和清洁能源市场增长迅速，新西兰在木材建材和地热技术方面有成熟经验，但当地已有大量国内供应商和欧美竞争对手，价格竞争激烈，新西兰企业若以高端、可持续解决方案切入，需提前评估本地认证和项目落地周期。

此次合作机制的长期价值在于减少信息不对称，但能否转化为实际订单仍取决于企业自身的本地化投入和后续跟进。直航恢复后，两地商务互访更加便利，对冰雪旅游、教育服务等依赖人员流动的行业构成直接利好。

关键词: 成都, 奥克兰商会, 中新经贸合作, 开放成都, 长期合作机制, 经贸对接, 西蒙·布里吉斯, 五外联动, 友好城市, 直航

Source: Baidu Search