Li Qiang Begins Official Visit to New Zealand, Marking 10 Years of Strategic Partnership

Summary

At the invitation of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Premier Li Qiang arrived in Wellington on the morning of 13 June 2024 local time on a chartered flight, beginning an official visit to New Zealand. He was accompanied by State Councillor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong and other entourage members. New Zealand Minister of Health Shane Reti and Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Xiaolong greeted him at the airport.

Li Qiang said that this year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's state visit to New Zealand and the establishment of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. The visit aims to carry forward traditional friendship, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and advance common development, and he looks forward to building an upgraded version of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. That afternoon, Luxon held a welcome ceremony on the north lawn of Government House, accompanied Li Qiang to watch a Maori welcome ceremony and introduced Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro and her husband.

A military band played the Chinese national anthem and a 19-gun salute was fired. Li Qiang inspected the guard of honour and the military band. The two premiers then held talks.

Li Qiang noted that the development of China and New Zealand presents opportunities rather than challenges to each other. China is willing to work with New Zealand to continuously expand trade scale, tap cooperation potential in areas such as the digital economy and green economy, and strive to remove non-economic factors that interfere with economic and trade relations. He announced that New Zealand will be included in the list of countries eligible for unilateral visa-free entry.

Luxon said New Zealand firmly adheres to the one-China policy and is willing to deepen cooperation in various fields. After the talks, the two premiers witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation documents in areas such as trade in services, and issued a joint outcome statement of the China-New Zealand Premier Meeting. The two sides agreed to launch negotiations on a negative list for trade in services.

Li Qiang also met with New Zealand Governor-General Kiro in Wellington that day and conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings.

Commentary

Premier Li Qiang's official visit to New Zealand marks the tenth year of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership. The visit not only reaffirmed the political foundation of bilateral relations but also sent a clear signal of deepening economic and trade cooperation. For New Zealand small and medium-sized business owners, the most noteworthy developments are the agreement to launch negotiations on a negative list for trade in services and China's inclusion of New Zealand in the list of countries eligible for unilateral visa-free entry.

The negative list negotiations mean the two sides will conduct more detailed consultations on market access in services. Once concluded, New Zealand exporters in advantageous sectors such as finance, education and professional services will gain more predictable and transparent access to the Chinese market. New Zealand's services sector accounts for about 70 percent of GDP, but China-New Zealand services trade is far below goods trade, indicating huge growth potential.

Meanwhile, the unilateral visa-free policy will directly lower the threshold for New Zealand businesspeople and tourists to visit China, helping SMEs participate more frequently in trade fairs, visit clients and inspect supply chains, and reducing transaction costs. From a broader perspective, China-New Zealand economic and trade relations are extending from traditional primary product trade such as dairy and timber to high-value-added areas such as the digital economy and green economy. New Zealand has expertise in agricultural technology, renewable energy and creative industries, while China has a huge market for digital infrastructure and green technology applications, showing clear complementarity.

However, New Zealand businesses should also note that competition in the Chinese market is intensifying and geopolitical factors may affect certain sensitive industries. For example, in cross-border data flows and artificial intelligence governance, the regulatory frameworks of the two countries differ, and businesses need to prepare for compliance in advance. In addition, Australia, New Zealand's traditional competitor in the Asia-Pacific, is also actively seeking to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China, so New Zealand businesses need to act quickly and make good use of the current policy window.

The multiple cooperation documents signed during the visit, especially the launch of the negative list negotiations on trade in services, provide New Zealand SMEs with an opportunity to transition from 'goods exports' to 'services exports'. Those able to combine local expertise with Chinese market demand are expected to open new growth curves in areas such as professional consulting, education technology and environmental solutions.

Keywords: Li Qiang's visit to New Zealand, 10th anniversary of China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership, Christopher Luxon, negative list negotiations on trade in services, unilateral visa-free entry, joint outcome statement, Wellington, Governor-General Kiro

Photo by JonathanPayne on Pixabay

Source: GitHub