Summary
Sichuan's Bureau of Economic Cooperation, the Auckland Business Chamber and the New Zealand Chinese Business Club jointly hosted the Multinationals Dialogue with Sichuan (New Zealand Session) in Chengdu on 8 September, following up on outcomes from Governor Shi Xiaolin's meeting with New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister McClay in May. More than 20 New Zealand companies organised by the chamber and the club, spanning agriculture, food, creative industries and clean energy, took part, alongside more than 50 representatives from Sichuan cities and prefectures, leading outbound-oriented enterprises and industry associations. The bureau presented Sichuan's economic profile and the opportunities it offers New Zealand business.
Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges and New Zealand Chinese Business Club chairman Dr Yang Jian outlined the chamber's work, New Zealand-Sichuan exchanges and the delegation's visit. Executives from Fonterra, Anfa International and other leading firms held face-to-face meetings with the Sichuan Foreign Affairs Office, the provincial Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangyuan and Neijiang, as well as with Shudao Group, Sichuan Energy Development Group, Sichuan Commerce and Investment Group, Runzhao Fisheries and the Chengdu Cross-Border E-Commerce Association. New Zealand was the first developed Western country to sign a Belt and Road cooperation document.
Two-way goods trade with Sichuan reached RMB 1.45 billion last year and exceeded RMB 900 million in the first seven months of this year, with exports of RMB 460 million and imports of RMB 480 million. New Zealand has established 46 foreign-invested enterprises in Sichuan, with cumulative foreign direct investment of USD 16.84 million. Both sides will use the event to open up new cooperation in deep processing of agricultural products and cold-chain logistics, clean energy and green low-carbon development, technology and advanced manufacturing, and culture, tourism and services trade.
Commentary
The matchmaking event gives small and medium-sized New Zealand firms a physical route into China's western market. Sichuan, the economic hub of the west, traded RMB 1.45 billion in goods with New Zealand last year — a modest base, but a stable one — and the first seven months of this year had already reached RMB 900 million, close to two-thirds of last year's full-year total. The presence of majors such as Fonterra shows there is still room to grow in dairy and agricultural technology in China, while firms with Chinese-community business links, such as Anfa International, demonstrate how local networks can cut the cost of market entry.
On the opportunity side, Sichuan put deep processing of agricultural products, cold-chain logistics, clean energy and creative industries at the centre of the agenda — precisely the areas where smaller New Zealand firms hold differentiated strengths. New Zealand is globally competitive in dairy processing, food preservation and geothermal generation, and could use Chengdu's cross-border e-commerce pilot zone and its position as a Belt and Road node to move product into second- and third-tier cities across central and western China. Yet the scale of the relationship remains limited, and cumulative New Zealand direct investment in Sichuan of just USD 16.84 million suggests past cooperation has been trade-led rather than investment-led.
Smaller firms that rush to build plants or warehouses may confront high fixed costs and local compliance risk. A more pragmatic entry is to partner with majors already established in China or with local business associations — working through the Auckland Business Chamber to match demand from Sichuan's cities and prefectures, starting with short-term trade orders or technology licensing before weighing localised investment in cold chain or processing. The specific interest voiced by Guangyuan, Neijiang and other cities points to opportunities in regional specialty agricultural supply chains, rather than a scramble for saturated first-tier markets.
Two-way trade is now roughly balanced, a sign of healthy flows, and the next openings to watch are clean energy equipment exports and imports of Sichuan specialities into New Zealand.
Keywords: Multinationals Dialogue with Sichuan, New Zealand Session, Sichuan-New Zealand economic and trade cooperation, Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Economic Cooperation, Auckland Business Chamber, New Zealand Chinese Business Club, Fonterra, Belt and Road, total goods import and export, foreign-invested enterprises
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