Chinese Ambassador Wang Xiaolong Makes Farewell Call on Foreign Minister Peters

Summary

Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong made a farewell call on Foreign Minister Winston Peters on 22 September, according to the Chinese embassy's WeChat account. Wang said that under the strategic guidance of leaders of both countries, China-New Zealand relations and cooperation across various fields have continued to make new progress. China is willing to work with New Zealand on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit to keep the focus on cooperation and take the comprehensive strategic partnership to a new level, bringing greater benefits to both countries and their peoples.

Peters said New Zealand attaches great importance to its relationship with China and that he has long been committed to promoting bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges. New Zealand believes the relationship has broad prospects and is willing to work with China to keep moving it forward. New Zealand supports China in hosting APEC and looks forward to a successful meeting.

Wang Xiaolong was born in June 1965 in Jingxing, Hebei province, and holds a doctorate in economics. He spent many years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of International Organizations, serving as deputy director-general, and later briefly as vice mayor of Cangzhou in Hebei. From 2008, he served as minister-counsellor at the Chinese embassy in Singapore, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Mongolia, special envoy for G20 affairs at the Foreign Ministry, deputy director-general of the Department of International Economic Affairs concurrently serving as special envoy for G20 and BRICS affairs, and director-general of the Department of International Economic Affairs concurrently serving as special envoy for G20 and BRICS affairs.

He was appointed ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to New Zealand, with concurrent accreditation to the Cook Islands and Niue, in 2021.

Commentary

Ambassador Wang Xiaolong's departure comes at a time when China-New Zealand relations are relatively stable but facing a changing external environment. As one of New Zealand's largest trading partners, any policy adjustment in the Chinese market directly affects local small and medium-sized enterprises' export and supply chain decisions. The APEC cooperation and bilateral dialogue mechanisms promoted during Ambassador Wang's tenure have provided a predictable policy framework for dairy, forestry and agricultural exporters.

New Zealand SMEs should watch the priorities of the next ambassador, particularly positions on non-tariff barriers and digital trade rules. From an industry perspective, large cooperatives such as Fonterra are already deeply tied to the Chinese market, while smaller exporters rely more on the stability of the bilateral relationship to reduce compliance costs. Foreign Minister Peters' statement of support for China hosting APEC suggests regional economic cooperation may accelerate in the coming year, potentially opening new windows for New Zealand's services trade and green technology firms.

At the same time, against the backdrop of global supply chain restructuring, New Zealand businesses need to balance their reliance on China with diversification to avoid risks from volatility in a single market.

Keywords: Wang Xiaolong, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, Peters, farewell call, China-New Zealand relations, comprehensive strategic partnership, APEC meeting, Foreign Minister

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

据中国驻新西兰大使馆微信公众号消息，9月22日，中国驻新西兰大使王小龙辞行拜会新西兰外交部长彼得斯，即将卸任。王小龙表示，在两国领导人战略引领下，中新关系和各领域合作不断取得新进展；中方愿同新方在相互尊重、互利共赢基础上继续聚焦合作，推动中新全面战略伙伴关系迈上新台阶，更好造福两国和两国人民。彼得斯表示，新方高度重视中新关系，其本人长期致力于推动中新经贸、人文交流合作，新方同样认为中新关系发展前景广阔，愿同中方一道努力推动双边关系继续向前发展；新方支持中方办好APEC会议，期待会议取得圆满成功。

公开简历显示，王小龙，男，1965年6月生，河北井陉人，经济学博士，曾长期在外交部国际司工作，担任外交部国际司副司长，后短暂担任河北省沧州市副市长。2008年以后，王小龙历任驻新加坡共和国大使馆公使衔参赞，驻蒙古国特命全权大使，外交部二十国集团事务特使，外交部国际经济司副司长兼外交部二十国集团事务特使、外交部金砖国家事务特使，外交部国际经济司司长兼外交部二十国集团事务特使、外交部金砖国家事务特使，2021年任中国驻新西兰兼驻库克群岛、纽埃特命全权大使。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

王小龙大使的离任正值中新关系处于相对稳定但面临外部环境变化的时期。作为新西兰最大的贸易伙伴之一，中国市场的任何政策微调都会直接影响本地中小企业的出口与供应链决策。王大使任内推动的APEC合作与双边对话机制，为乳制品、林业和农产品出口商提供了可预期的政策框架。

新西兰中小企业应关注下一任大使的优先议程，尤其是在非关税壁垒和数字贸易规则上的立场。从行业角度看，恒天然等大型合作社已深度绑定中国市场，而中小型出口商更依赖双边关系的稳定性来降低合规成本。彼得斯外长对新方支持中方办好APEC的表态，暗示未来一年区域经济合作可能加速，这或为新西兰服务贸易和绿色科技企业打开新窗口。

但与此同时，全球供应链重组背景下，新西兰企业需平衡对华依赖与多元化布局，避免单一市场波动带来的风险。

关键词: 王小龙, 中国驻新西兰大使, 彼得斯, 辞行拜会, 中新关系, 全面战略伙伴关系, APEC会议, 外交部长

Source: Tencent Network