China and New Zealand are a ‘force for stability’ in a turbulent world, says Foreign Minister Wang Yi

He said working with China was “really critical to us in building our relationships out across the region”.

At the start of the meeting, Wang said: “The international and regional situation is changing and turbulent, and the relationship between China and New Zealand is a force for stability in the world.”

Earlier Wang told Peters, who is also the deputy prime minister, that the two countries “had neither historical grudges nor real disputes but shared … broad common interests”, adding that they should “continue to respect each other’s social system and take care of each other’s core interests and major concerns”.

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According to the Chinese foreign ministry, he also said “China is willing to work with New Zealand...so that the China-New Zealand relationship will continue to be at the forefront of China’s relations with developed countries”. He added that Beijing was willing to cooperate in areas such as infrastructure, the green and digital economies, innovation and climate change, as well as boosting cultural exchanges.

Wang also urged New Zealand to “safeguard the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and tourists”.

Peters said Wang’s visit – his first to the country since 2017 – was a “valuable opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities” facing the two countries.

“Alongside areas of cooperation, it was important to acknowledge areas of difference such as human rights, including the situation in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Tibet,” said Peters.

The two sides also discussed regional and international issues, and Peters also raised concerns over “increasing tensions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait”.

“New Zealand follows developments in the Pacific closely and emphasises the importance of engaging through existing regional institutions and arrangements, in particular on regional security matters,” Peters said.

“New Zealand places great importance on supporting the current international rules-based order. We emphasised the constructive role China can play in responding to regional and international security challenges such as the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts and deescalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.”

The two said they looked forward to further high-level visits between China and New Zealand this year and committed to holding talks on foreign affairs, trade, consular issues, the Pacific, climate change, and human rights.

Beijing has repeatedly criticised Aukus for encouraging nuclear proliferation. Last month the Chinese defence ministry warned Wellington not to “harm its own security interests” after New Zealand, a member of the anglophone “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance, expressed an interest in working with Aukus on areas such as cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. China is now New Zealand’s largest trading partner, accounting for 28 per cent of goods exports in 2022, while two-way trade reached US$23.55 billion in the year ending September 2023, according to Wellington’s official figures.

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New Zealand was also the first developed country to sign a free-trade agreement with China in 2008.

The country is now China’s largest supplier of dairy products in a trade worth around NZ$8 billion (US$4.9 billion) a year over the past three years. Around half of this trade was in milk powder.