China and New Zealand agree on closer cooperation

China and New Zealand agreed to forge closer cooperation and relations as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Winston Peters in Wellington on Monday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is visiting New Zealand and Australia from March 17 to 21.

Wang told Peters that the healthy development of bilateral ties, despite changes in global and regional situations, has been a stabilizing factor in the world.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said that the Chinese side is willing to work with the New Zealand side to create more "firsts" for bilateral ties and see a new decade with greater development.

He also called for joint efforts to implement the upgraded China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, launch negotiations on the negative list of trade in services at an early date, and build new growth engines such as infrastructure, green transformation, digital economy, technological innovation, and climate action.

The Chinese foreign minister said that both sides should continue to improve conditions for personnel exchanges, and deepen exchanges on education, tourism and youth and at the sub-national level.

Wang expressed hope that New Zealand will earnestly protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and tourists in New Zealand.

Wang noted that both China and New Zealand are participants and builders of the existing international system and order, and have broad consensus in promoting equality among all countries, big or small, multilateralism, democracy in international relations and free trade.

He said that China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with New Zealand under multilateral frameworks and to jointly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on the international law.

For his part, Peters noted during the meeting that China is an important partner of New Zealand, adding that ties have made great progress since the establishment of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership 10 years ago.

New Zealand firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and looks forward to increased high-level exchanges, expanded cooperation in economy and trade, education, culture and climate action, and deepened communication and coordination in regional and international affairs, pushing for greater growth of bilateral ties in the coming decade or even 50 years, he said.

Peters said that New Zealand welcomes the arrival of Chinese students and entrepreneurs to study and start businesses.

The two sides agreed to further conduct high-level exchanges, hold intergovernmental dialogues on foreign policy, trade, consular affairs, the South Pacific, climate change, and human rights, take further steps to facilitate personnel exchanges, and maintain active communication on China's participation in the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Both sides also exchanged in-depth views on Ukraine, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Korean Peninsula, the situation in the South Pacific region and other international and regional issues of common concern. 

(With input from Xinhua)