China is to include New Zealand in the list of unilateral visa-free countries. The news was announced by Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his visit to New Zealand. The two sides also officially launched negotiations on the services trade as part of an update to their free-trade agreement. So what is the state of bilateral ties? How is the relationship being affected by the U.S. strategic competition policy with China? And how can the two countries manage their differences to further boost their relationship?

Guests in this episode are Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization; David Mahon, executive chairman of Mahon China Investment Management; Fran O'Sullivan, managing director of NZ INC and Columnist for the New Zealand Herald; and Anna-May Isbey, executive director of New Zealand Business Roundtable in China.