New Zealand and China have signed agreements on trade and climate change, with two-way trade in goods worth nearly $23.43 billion during a trip by Premier Li Qiang, the highest-level Chinese visit to New Zealand in seven years.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is seeking to balance rights and security concerns with the lucrative trade opportunities offered by Beijing, the country’s largest export partner.
Li who was greeted in the capital Wellington by both Luxon and the governor-general stated that China will extend visa-free travel to New Zealanders, while New Zealand will support Chinese language teaching and cultural exchanges though its Confucius Institutes in the country.
New Zealand’s relationship with China has changed since the last time a Chinese premier visited in 2017, calling out Beijing for hacking the country’s parliament and noting the growing threat China poses to security in the Pacific.
