NZ Chinese Business Federation president Yang Jian leads delegation to Chengdu

Summary

Yang Jian, president of the New Zealand Chinese Business Federation, led a delegation to Chengdu on 9 September 2026, holding talks at the Tianyi Nongyuan Art Expo Park with Xu Yanmei, a member of the party leadership group and secretary-general of the Sichuan Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and Zhang Li, a member of the party leadership group, vice-chair and secretary-general of the Chengdu federation. The group also included members of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and the New Zealand Chinese Business Club, and was accompanied by Nongyuan Group chairwoman Yang Li and Zhao Ling, honorary president of the New Zealand Sichuan-Chongqing General Chamber of Commerce. Zhang Li welcomed the delegation, saying Chengdu pairs a deep Tianfu cultural heritage with modern, open industrial strengths.

She said the federation would act as a bridge, steadily consolidating friendly ties between Chengdu and New Zealand Chinese community organisations and encouraging both sides to contribute to economic and social development in their respective regions. Speaking for the Sichuan federation, Xu Yanmei extended a warm welcome and described overseas Chinese as a valuable bridge linking China and New Zealand. The two countries have complementary industries and close people-to-people ties, she said, with broad prospects for co-operation in cultural and creative industries, modern agriculture, health and wellness, and international trade.

The provincial federation would act as a promoter, service provider and connector for China-New Zealand co-operation, establishing a regular exchange mechanism and sending Chinese arts groups to New Zealand for performances and joint exhibitions, to advance joint artistic creation, tourism and cultural links, industrial co-operation and talent exchanges. Yang Jian thanked the Sichuan and Chengdu federations for their hospitality and set out the New Zealand Chinese Business Federation's development. Cultural affinity is the foundation of economic and trade integration, he said, and federation platforms give strong support to connecting government, business and commercial resources in China and overseas.

Sichuan and Chengdu carry strong momentum and are a priority for overseas Chinese investors, and the federation will use its platform to organise exchanges and visits and deepen practical co-operation across a range of sectors. An intangible cultural heritage display and exchange area featured live demonstrations of bamboo weaving, palm weaving, shadow puppetry and paper-cutting. The New Zealand delegation toured the park and was struck by its NY20+ international artist residency programme, the green regeneration concept behind the "Tuixu · Regeneration Art Season", and work created jointly by New Zealand artists in residence and local culture.

Commentary

The visit to Chengdu by the New Zealand Chinese Business Federation and the Auckland Chamber of Commerce signals that China-New Zealand commercial ties are extending into services — cultural and creative industries, modern agriculture and health and wellness. As a consumer centre in western China with a population of more than 20 million, Chengdu shows steadily rising demand for quality New Zealand agricultural products and health services. NZ SMEs can use the networks of overseas Chinese federations and chambers of commerce to test supermarket or e-commerce channels in the south-west.

The caveat is that visits of this kind are largely framework exchanges, and actual commercial outcomes still turn on market access, distribution and compliance costs. Competition in Chengdu is intense, with local brands and e-commerce platforms dominant, and the cost of trial and error is high for firms without a local team. The arts performances and tourism links discussed offer a showcase for New Zealand creative and tourism businesses, but short-term commercial returns are limited.

With 97 percent of New Zealand enterprises being SMEs and resources scarce, firms should prioritise niche segments with a strong fit rather than chase trends. Watch for follow-up chamber exchanges and time market entry against Chengdu consumer data.

Keywords: New Zealand Chinese Business Federation, Yang Jian, Chengdu, Sichuan Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, China-New Zealand exchange, Tianyi Nongyuan, overseas Chinese business co-operation, intangible cultural heritage

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

2026年9月9日，新西兰华商联合总会会长杨健一行到访成都，四川省侨联党组成员、秘书长徐艳梅，成都市侨联党组成员、副主席兼秘书长张莉在天艺浓园艺术博览园与杨健一行开展交流座谈。一同到访的还有新西兰奥克兰商会和新西兰华商俱乐部成员，浓园集团董事长杨丽、新西兰川渝总商会名誉会长赵玲陪同座谈。张莉作欢迎致辞，表示成都兼具深厚天府文脉与现代开放产业优势，侨联将发挥桥梁纽带作用，持续巩固成都与新西兰侨界组织的友好合作关系，推动双方为两地经济社会发展作出贡献。

徐艳梅代表四川省侨联对到访嘉宾表示热烈欢迎，指出海外侨胞是联结中国与新西兰的宝贵桥梁，中新两国产业互补、人文相亲，在文创、现代农业、康养、国际贸易等领域合作前景广阔；省侨联将当好中新合作的推动者、服务者、链接者，建立常态化交流机制，推动中方艺术团组赴新展演联展，促进两地艺术共创、文旅互通、产业合作、人才互访，助力民心相通。杨健感谢四川省及成都市侨联的热情接待，介绍了新西兰华商联合总会的发展情况，谈到文化相通是经贸相融的根基，侨联平台有力支撑海内外政企商资源对接，四川和成都当前发展势头强劲，是海外侨商投资布局的重点区域，商会将发挥平台优势，密切对接、组织互访，深化多领域务实合作。现场还设置有非遗展示交流区，竹编、棕编、皮影、剪纸等多门类非遗项目现场展演体验；新方一行参观博览园，对园区NY20+国际艺术家驻留项目、“蜕墟・再生艺术季”绿色再生创作理念，以及新西兰驻园艺术家与本土文化融合的共创成果留下深刻印象。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

新西兰华商联合总会与奥克兰商会访问成都，释放出中新经贸合作向文创、现代农业、康养等服务业延伸的信号。成都作为中国西部消费中心，人口超2000万，对新西兰优质农产品和健康服务的需求持续上升。NZ SME可借助侨联和商会的资源网络，尝试进入西南地区的商超或电商渠道。

但需注意，此类访问多为框架性交流，实际商业落地仍需评估市场准入、分销和合规成本。成都市场竞争激烈，本土品牌和电商平台占据主导，缺乏本地化团队的企业试错成本较高。交流中提到的艺术展演和文旅互通，为新西兰创意和旅游企业提供了展示窗口，但短期商业回报有限。

目前新西兰97%的企业为中小企业，资源有限，应优先选择匹配度高的细分领域，而非盲目追热点。后续可关注商会互访活动，结合成都消费数据评估进入时机。

关键词: 新西兰华商联合总会, 杨健, 成都, 四川省侨联, 中新交流, 天艺浓园, 侨商合作, 非物质文化遗产

Source: Chengdu Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese