Chengdu federation backs flagship industries’ global push

Summary

The China (Chengdu)–New Zealand Business Matchmaking Conference has been held in Chengdu, hosted by the Chengdu Centre for Opening-up and Cooperation Promotion and the Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce (Chengdu General Chamber of Commerce). Simon Bridges, chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, led a 20-strong trade delegation to meet more than 80 representatives from Chengdu government departments, industry associations and companies. Yu Jian, chairman of the Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce and president of the Chengdu General Chamber of Commerce, told the meeting that Chengdu established friendly relations with the Waikato region in 1996 and a sister-city relationship with Hamilton in 2015.

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the sister-city links, and direct flights between Chengdu and Auckland resumed in 2024, he said. China has long been New Zealand's largest goods trading partner, and Sichuan and New Zealand are working ever more closely in food trade, tourism and culture, education and technology. At the event, the Chengdu Centre for Opening-up and Cooperation Promotion presented the city's 'five-foreign linkage' system, and the Chengdu Investment Promotion Bureau promoted the city's business environment.

The Auckland Chamber of Commerce was awarded an 'Open Chengdu' overseas partner plaque, with the two sides to build a long-term cooperation mechanism covering the sharing of trade and economic information, reciprocal business delegations and industrial cooperation. In the roadshow session, representatives of five New Zealand companies and six Chengdu companies presented, while B2B matchmaking covered one-on-one talks in biomedicine, food trade, building materials and home furnishing and green energy, producing five cooperation intentions on site. The Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce said it will continue to act as a bridge, guiding Chengdu private enterprises into global industrial, supply and value chains, and helping local flagship industries and quality companies go global.

Commentary

For small and medium-sized Auckland businesses, the matchmaking conference was more than a symbolic handshake. Recognition of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce as an 'Open Chengdu' overseas partner gives its members an institutional entry point for trade information and exchange visits, cutting the trial-and-error cost of entering China's western market alone. Chengdu is a consumer centre and transport hub for western China, with more than 21 million residents.

Since the Chengdu–Auckland direct flight resumed in 2024, air freight times for higher-value food and biomedical products have improved markedly. The caveat is conversion. Only five cooperation intentions came out of the B2B sessions, showing that a gap remains between first contact and firm orders.

New Zealand firms will need to invest local resources in follow-up and come to grips with Chinese compliance requirements on imported food labelling and inspection and quarantine. On industry structure, New Zealand's exports to China remain dominated by dairy, meat and logs, and large players such as Fonterra have already built deep channels in western China. SMEs are better placed to carve out a differentiated position in niche categories such as honey, functional foods and green building materials.

The green energy, and building materials and home furnishing sectors highlighted by Chengdu offer room for overlap with New Zealand expertise in energy-efficient building technology and environmentally friendly materials, although price competition and project timelines in western China need to be assessed. If the long-term mechanism between the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce runs smoothly, it could become a low-cost route for New Zealand brands into Chengdu and the wider southwest market. The key question is whether companies are willing to keep taking part in follow-up activities, rather than simply turning up to collect business cards.

Keywords: China–New Zealand business matchmaking conference, Chengdu, New Zealand, Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Chengdu Federation of Industry and Commerce, Open Chengdu, sister cities, cooperation intentions, companies going global, five-foreign linkage

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

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、成都市工商联（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，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、市总商会会长俞建在致辞中表示，1996年成都与怀卡托大区建立友好合作关系，2015年与哈密尔顿市缔结友好城市，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。

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营商环境推介，并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家成都企业代表登台展示；b2b对接围绕生物医药、食品贸易、建材家居、绿色能源等领域一对一洽谈，现场促成合作意向5个。

下一步，成都市工商联将持续发挥桥梁纽带作用，引导成都民营企业嵌入全球产业链、供应链、价值链，助力本土优势产业和优质企业扬帆出海。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

对奥克兰中小企业而言，这次对接会不只是象征性握手。奥克兰商会获授“开放成都”海外合作伙伴，意味着其会员未来在经贸信息、企业互访上有了制度性入口，可降低独自进入中国西部市场的试错成本。成都是中国西部消费中心和交通枢纽，常住人口超2100万，2024年成都—奥克兰直航恢复后，高附加值的食品、生物医药产品空运时效显著改善。

但企业也需看到，B2B环节仅促成5个合作意向，说明从初次接触到实际订单仍有距离，新西兰企业需在后续跟进中投入本地化资源，理解中国对进口食品标签、检验检疫的合规要求。从行业格局看，新西兰对华出口仍以乳制品、肉类和木材为主，恒天然等大型企业已在中国西部深耕渠道，中小企业更适合在细分品类如蜂蜜、功能性食品、绿色建材上寻找差异定位。此次成都方面重点推介的绿色能源和建材家居领域，与新西兰企业在节能建筑技术、环保材料上的经验有对接空间，但需评估中国西部价格竞争和项目周期。

奥克兰商会与成都市工商联的长期机制若运行顺畅，或将成为新西兰品牌进入成都乃至西南市场的一条低成本通路，关键在于企业是否愿意持续参与后续活动，而不只是参会收集名片。

关键词: 中新经贸对接洽谈会, 成都, 新西兰, 奥克兰商会, 成都市工商联, 开放成都, 友好城市, 合作意向, 企业出海, 五外联动

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