NZ Hangzhou Chamber signs overseas collaboration pact with Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese

Summary

The Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese held its 16th Overseas Collaboration Conference in Hangzhou on the morning of 23 September, drawing 45 overseas Chinese leaders from 27 countries and regions. Zhu Jianming, member of the Standing Committee of the Hangzhou Municipal Party Committee and head of the United Front Work Department, and Yao Junming, member of the Party Leadership Group and vice-chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, attended and addressed the meeting, which was chaired by Xu Lingdi, chairman of the Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. In the conference's headline segment, the Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese signed overseas collaboration agreements with four overseas Chinese organisations.

The New Zealand Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce was among the key overseas Chinese groups to sign, formally entering the federation's core overseas collaboration network. Zhang Rubing, deputy secretary-general of the New Zealand Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce, represented the chamber at the meeting and spoke about its development and the outcomes of exchanges between New Zealand and China. Drawing on New Zealand's location and industry strengths, she put forward a number of practical proposals for deepening Hangzhou-New Zealand trade co-operation, talent exchange and cultural connectivity.

Since the overseas collaboration mechanism was established in 2009, the Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese has pursued the aims of information sharing, resource pooling, mutual assistance and common development, building a network for co-operation across Chinese communities at home and abroad. The signing is a strong endorsement of the chamber's work and a new starting point for its efforts to deepen overseas Chinese affairs work and support two-way development. Going forward, the chamber will strengthen links between resources in New Zealand and China, align with Hangzhou's industrial development priorities, deepen China-New Zealand trade and cultural exchange, and focus on nurturing young overseas Chinese talent and pooling overseas Chinese expertise.

Commentary

The overseas collaboration agreement between the New Zealand Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce and the Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese marks a further step towards institutionalising people-to-people trade ties between New Zealand and China. Hangzhou, a major hub for China's digital economy, is home to platform companies such as Alibaba and NetEase, while New Zealand has strengths in agricultural technology, food processing and clean energy. The two economies are highly complementary.

For local small and medium-sized enterprises, networks such as this can lower the trust costs of entering the Chinese market. Under the policy framework of Hangzhou's cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone in particular, New Zealand small brands may find it more efficient to connect with Hangzhou supply chains and livestream e-commerce resources through overseas Chinese business channels than to seek a Chinese agent directly. On the other hand, New Zealand companies should take a measured view of the platform's limits: its resources lean towards Zhejiang business networks, so if a product's positioning does not match consumer preferences in eastern China, actual conversion rates may be limited.

Against the wider industry backdrop, demand for imported dairy products and health supplements continues to grow in China's smaller cities, but competition has shifted from simple tariff advantages to the ability to localise brand operations. If the New Zealand Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce can turn the signing into concrete product-matching sessions, shared bonded warehouse arrangements or joint marketing projects, it will genuinely empower small and medium-sized enterprises. With trade protectionism on the rise globally, the value of people-to-people collaboration mechanisms lies in bypassing some non-tariff barriers, but companies still need to complete key steps themselves, including compliance with Chinese market regulation and intellectual property protection.

Keywords: New Zealand Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce, Hangzhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, overseas collaboration agreement, Zhang Rubing, overseas Chinese organisations, New Zealand-China exchange, Hangzhou, Overseas Collaboration Conference

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

9月23日上午，杭州市侨联第十六次海外协作会议在杭州召开，汇聚27个国家和地区的45名海外侨领代表。杭州市委常委、统战部部长朱建明，浙江省侨联党组成员、副主席姚君明出席并讲话，市侨联主席许玲娣主持会议。会议重磅环节中，杭州市侨联与四家海外侨团签订海外联动合作协议，新西兰杭州商会作为海外重点侨团成功签约，正式纳入杭州市侨联海外协作核心联动体系。

新西兰杭州商会副秘书长章茹冰代表商会参会发言，介绍商会发展建设情况及中新两地交流成果，并结合新西兰区位优势与产业特色，为深化杭新经贸合作、人才交流、文化互通提出多项务实建议。自2009年海外协作机制建立以来，杭州侨联秉持“沟通信息、资源共享、平等互助、共同发展”宗旨，搭建海内外侨界合作网络。此次签约是市侨联对商会工作的高度认可，也是商会深耕海外侨务工作、赋能双向发展的全新起点。

未来商会将强化海内外资源联动，对接杭州产业发展布局，深耕中新经贸协作与文化交流，聚力侨青培育与侨智汇聚。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

新西兰杭州商会与杭州市侨联签署海外协作联动协议，标志着中新民间经贸纽带进一步机制化。杭州作为中国数字经济重镇，拥有阿里巴巴、网易等平台型企业，而新西兰在农业科技、食品加工和清洁能源领域具备优势，两地产业互补性强。对本地中小企业而言，此类侨联协作网络可降低进入中国市场的信任成本，尤其在杭州跨境电商综试区政策框架下，新西兰中小品牌通过侨商渠道对接杭州供应链和直播电商资源，可能比直接寻找中国代理更高效。

另一方面，新西兰企业需理性看待侨联平台的局限性：其资源偏向浙商网络，若产品定位与华东消费偏好不匹配，实际转化率可能有限。从行业背景看，中国二三线城市对进口乳制品、保健品需求持续增长，但竞争已从单纯关税优势转向品牌本土化运营能力。新西兰杭州商会若能将签约转化为具体的选品对接会、保税仓共享或联合营销项目，才能真正赋能中小企业。

当前全球贸易保护主义抬头，民间协作机制的价值在于绕过部分非关税壁垒，但企业仍需自行完成中国市场监管合规、知识产权保护等关键环节。

关键词: 新西兰杭州商会, 杭州市侨联, 海外协作联动协议, 章茹冰, 侨团, 中新交流, 杭州, 海外协作会议

Source: NZ Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce