China, New Zealand should be ‘partners, not adversaries’, Xi Jinping tells visiting prime minister

Chinese president says both countries should improve the environment for business and investment as he welcomes New Zealand leader to Beijing
Chris Hipkins, who is leading a trade delegation, tells of ‘warm and constructive’ discussion focused on economic relationship

China economy

Cyril Ipin Hong KongandZhuang Pinghuiin Beijing

Published: 10:39pm, 27 Jun 2023

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has told visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins that their countries should see each other as partners, not adversaries, adding that Beijing stands ready to promote a stable comprehensive strategic partnership.

Hipkins, leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, is on a six-day visit to China – his first since being sworn into office in January.

He is travelling with a 29-strong trade delegation that includes some of New Zealand’s biggest companies, including gaming app developer PikPok and fitness workout designer Les Mills International.

Meeting Hipkins in Beijing on Tuesday, Xi said relations between the two countries had “long led the way in China’s relations with developed countries”.

Both sides should strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership, and continue to see each other as “partners, not adversaries, and as opportunities, not threats”.

“[We need to] respect each other, treat each other as equals, be open and accommodating, be harmonious but different,” Xi said, adding both countries should provide a better environment for business and investment.

The two sides need to strengthen non-governmental exchanges and cooperation in the fields of education, culture and tourism, he said.

Hipkins later said the meeting was “warm and constructive”, and that the bilateral economic relationship was the top item on the agenda.

International issues were also discussed, he said, including “the importance of working together to support the international rules-based order”, as well as the role China can play in addressing climate change and the war in Ukraine.

“We also engaged on areas where our cultures and political systems differ, and I reiterated we will always advocate for approaches and outcomes that reflect New Zealand’s independent foreign policy or interests and values, in a respectful but consistent way,” Hipkins said in a statement.

Forget UK, North America – Asia is most important to New Zealanders, poll finds

Ahead of the trip, Hipkins had said he was set on “diversifying the breadth of our export offering” beyond the traditional goods of dairy, meat and wood, by supporting emerging sectors, such as gaming, health and wellness.

In 2013, China overtook Australia to become New Zealand’s biggest export market.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hipkins was in neighbouring Tianjin for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or Summer Davos, where Chinese Premier Li Qiang sought to send a reassuring message about China’s economic recovery.

On Monday, the trade minister of New Zealand, Damien O’Connor, met his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao in Beijing.

O’Connor described the talks as “very positive”, with Beijing’s potential participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) high on the agenda.

The CPTPP is a trade agreement among 11 signatories – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam – whose economies collectively represent 13.4 per cent of the global gross domestic product.

The groundwork for Hipkins’ visit was laid when the foreign ministers of the two countries, Nanaia Mahuta and Qin Gang, met in March. Qin said at the time that China was ready to work with New Zealand to “continue the sound momentum of high-level exchanges and increase political mutual trust”.

Last week, Hipkins said he disagreed with US President Joe Biden’s reference to Xi as a “dictator”, made in connection with a row in February over an alleged Chinese spy balloon in US air space.

“The form of government that China has is a matter for the Chinese people,” Hipkins said.

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