Chengdu Hosts ‘Open Chengdu, Link the Globe’ China (Chengdu)–New Zealand Trade Matchmaking Conference

Summary

The 'Open Chengdu, Link the Globe' China (Chengdu)–New Zealand trade matchmaking conference was held in Chengdu on 7 September, hosted by the Chengdu Centre for Opening-up and Cooperation Promotion and the Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce (General Chamber of Commerce). Simon Bridges, chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, led a 20-strong trade delegation to the city, joining more than 80 representatives from Chengdu government departments, industry associations and businesses. In his welcome address, Yu Jian, chairman of the Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce and president of the Chengdu General Chamber of Commerce, said Chengdu and the Waikato region established friendly cooperative relations in 1996 and formally became sister cities with Hamilton in 2015, with the two sides marking 11 years of sister-city ties this year.

The resumption of direct Chengdu–Auckland flights in 2024 has put two-way trade and economic exchanges on the fast track. China remains New Zealand's largest goods trading partner, and Sichuan and New Zealand are working ever more closely in food trade, tourism, education, science and technology. The Chengdu Centre for Opening-up and Cooperation Promotion presented its 'five foreign-related linkages' framework, and the Chengdu Investment Promotion Bureau presented on the city's business environment.

The centre awarded the Auckland Chamber of Commerce an 'Open Chengdu' overseas partner plaque, with the two sides to build a long-term cooperation mechanism covering trade information sharing, business delegation visits and matchmaking, and industry cooperation. In the pitch session, representatives of five New Zealand companies and six Chengdu companies took the stage, followed by one-on-one B2B meetings covering biomedicine, food trade, building materials and home furnishings, and green energy, generating five cooperation intentions. The Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce said it will keep building high-frequency platforms for interaction between Chinese and foreign business communities and guide Chengdu's private enterprises into global industrial, supply and value chains.

Commentary

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce's 20-member trade delegation to Chengdu, and the 'Open Chengdu' overseas partner status it received, opens a new organised channel for New Zealand small and medium-sized enterprises into China's western market. Chengdu is a consumer centre in western China, and the resumption of direct Auckland flights in 2024 has cut both travel time and cost for business trips. For NZ SMEs, the scale of Sichuan's food trade is the obvious draw: China is New Zealand's largest goods trading partner, with dairy, meat and seafood the mainstay of exports, and Chengdu's sister-city relationship with Waikato has laid years of government and business connections for companies such as Fonterra.

This matchmaking round focused on biomedicine, food trade, building materials and home furnishings, and green energy. Food trade is New Zealand's traditional strength, but competition comes not only from recovering Australian dairy exports but also from Chinese domestic brands expanding into premium lines. To capitalise, NZ SMEs need to use the long-term information-sharing mechanism the Auckland Chamber and Chengdu have established, and find partners familiar with local cold chain, certification and e-commerce channels.

They should also turn one-off B2B meetings into sustained follow-up: only five cooperation intentions were generated, showing that filtering and trust-building still stand between an initial talk and an actual order. The opportunity in Chengdu lies in the incremental demand from consumption upgrading in second- and third-tier cities, but logistics reach and localisation capability determine success. NZ SMEs would do well to start with small, frequent trial orders rather than betting on large-scale distribution agreements.

Keywords: Chengdu, New Zealand, trade matchmaking conference, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Simon Bridges, sister-city cooperation, five foreign-related linkages, direct flights, cooperation intentions, opening-up

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

9月7日，“开放成都·链接全球”中国(成都)—新西兰经贸对接洽谈会在成都举行，由成都市对外开放合作促进中心、成都市工商业联合会(总商会)主办。新西兰奥克兰商会首席执行官西蒙·布里吉斯率20人经贸代表团来蓉，与80余位成都市相关部门、行业协会及企业代表参会。成都市工商联主席、成都市总商会会长俞建在欢迎辞中表示，1996年成都与怀卡托大区建立友好合作关系，2015年与哈密尔顿市正式缔结友城，今年双方迎来结好十一周年；2024年成都至奥克兰直航航线复航，为两地经贸往来按下“加速键”。

中国长期稳居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。活动现场，成都市对外开放合作促进中心围绕“五外联动”体系作专题推介，成都市投资促进局作成都营商环境推介；市开放中心向新西兰奥克兰商会授予“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家新西兰企业代表与6家成都企业代表先后登台展示，随后B2B对接围绕生物医药、食品贸易、建材家居、绿色能源等领域开展一对一洽谈，现场促成合作意向5个。

成都市工商联表示，将持续搭建中外工商界高频互动平台，引导成都民营企业嵌入全球产业链、供应链、价值链。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

奥克兰商会率20人经贸团赴成都，并获授“开放成都”海外合作伙伴，标志着新西兰中小企业进入中国西部市场有了新的组织化通道。成都是中国西部消费中心，2024年奥克兰直航复航后，商务差旅时间与成本明显降低。对NZ SME而言，四川食品贸易规模庞大——中国是新西兰第一大货物贸易伙伴，乳制品、肉类、海鲜占据出口主力，而成都与怀卡托的友城关系为恒天然等企业铺垫了多年政商人脉。

此次对接聚焦生物医药、食品贸易、建材家居和绿色能源，其中食品贸易是新西兰传统优势领域，但竞争不止来自澳大利亚乳制品恢复增长，也来自中国本土品牌在高端产品线上的扩张。新西兰中小企业若想借力，需利用奥克兰商会与成都方面建立的长期信息共享机制，寻找熟悉本地冷链、认证和电商渠道的合作伙伴；同时将一次性B2B转化为持续跟进，因为现场仅促成5个合作意向，说明从初步洽谈到实际订单还存在筛选与信任建立的过程。成都市场的机遇在于二三线消费升级带来的增量，但物流半径和本地化服务能力决定成败，NZ SME宜从小批量多频次的试单开始，而不是押注大规模分销协议。

关键词: 成都, 新西兰, 经贸对接洽谈会, 奥克兰商会, 西蒙·布里吉斯, 友城合作, 五外联动, 直航航线, 合作意向, 对外开放

Source: Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce Portal