Beijing-Wellington ties set model of cooperation amid differences

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Upon his arrival in Wellington on Thursday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang expressed his anticipation for deepening exchanges and cooperation in various fields with New Zealand. Wellington has also extended its goodwill. It was a "great privilege and a great honor" to host a visiting Chinese delegation, New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said earlier Thursday.

Li's visit to New Zealand – the first leg of his three-nation tour with Australia and Malaysia as the other two stops – is the first by a Chinese premier in seven years. Before heading for meetings with Luxon, Li was officially welcomed at a traditional indigenous Maori ceremony, indicating Wellington's willingness to enhance ties with Beijing.

Although the two countries are separated by vast oceans, the China-New Zealand relationship has consistently been at the forefront of China's relationship with developed countries. During Li's visit, the two countries witnessed the signing of "a number of important arrangements" covering trade, investment, tourism, technology and cultural exchanges.

A celebration of trade links has turned out to be top of the agenda. China is the South Pacific nation's largest trading partner worth over NZ$38 billion ($23.43 billion) in two-way trade, and its largest export market accounting for more than 26 percent of its goods exports, according to New Zealand's Trade Minister, Todd McClay.

In this context, boosting trade ties with China presents huge opportunities for New Zealand. Take kiwifruit as an example. China has long been a bright sales spot for New Zealand's kiwifruit and the largest growth market for Zespri International Limited – the world's largest marketer of kiwifruit, according to Farmers Weekly.

With its middle-income population expanding, the Chinese market will witness a growing appetite for more high-quality products and services from New Zealand. This means huge business opportunities for New Zealand's kiwifruit exporters.

Against this backdrop, the signing of trade agreements and the official launch of negotiations on the services trade between Beijing and Wellington announced during Li's visit will further clear barriers for kiwifruit-like exporters to expand their businesses in the Chinese market.

In addition, Beijing's invitation to Wellington to appear as a guest country at the China International Import Expo that is to be held in Shanghai in November will further boost business opportunities for New Zealand's firms and help the country to meet its target of doubling exports by value within 10 years.

Both countries are calling for cooperation. But differences exist as well. Differences in national realities, stages of development and social systems mean that the two countries do not always see eye-to eye with each other on everything. But as Li said, differences should not be a chasm that blocks exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

"Our candid discussion and our ongoing frank dialogue are absolutely essential if we are to make the most of the opportunities that we have for our two countries and also to navigate the areas of difficulty," Luxon said on Thursday.

Li's trip, which comes on the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to New Zealand as well as the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, is such an endeavor to navigate cooperation through these difficulties.

With a string of agreements reached, the Beijing-Wellington interaction has set a model of multi-win cooperation between countries with different historical cultures, social systems and stages of development. Joint efforts for a brighter future in the China-New Zealand relationship are in the interests not only of people from both countries, but also the South Pacific and the rest of the world.

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