China, New Zealand agree on closer cooperation, ties in next decade

WELLINGTON -- China and New Zealand will make joint efforts to forge closer cooperation and relations in the decade to come, a prospect expected by visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his New Zealand counterpart during their talks on Monday.

Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is currently on a tour from March 17 to 21 for an official visit to New Zealand and to Australia.

In his meeting with New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters, Wang said that the sustained momentum for a healthy development of bilateral ties despite changes in global and regional situations has been a stabilizing factor in the world, stressing mutual respect, mutual tolerance, focusing on cooperation and benefiting the people as the favorable drivers deserving working further.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang said that the Chinese side is willing to work with the New Zealand side to create more "firsts" for bilateral ties to remain in the lead among China's relationships with developed countries, and see a new decade with greater development.

Wang said that China and New Zealand have many important consensuses and extensive common interests, and that mutually beneficial cooperation has ever been the keynote in bilateral ties, calling on both sides to continue to respect each other's choice of social system and development path, and accomodate each other's core interests and major concerns.

During the talks, Wang also called for joint efforts to implement the upgraded China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, launch negotiations on the negative list of trade in services at an early date, and build new growth engines such as infrastructure, green transformation, digital economy, technological innovation, and climate action.

The Chinese foreign minister said that both sides should continue to improve conditions for personnel exchanges, and deepen exchanges on education, tourism and youth and at the sub-national level.

Wang expressed hope that New Zealand will earnestly protect the safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students and tourists in New Zealand.

Wang noted that both China and New Zealand are participants and builders of the existing international system and order, and have broad consensus in promoting equality among all countries, big or small, multilateralism, democracy in international relations and free trade.

He said that China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with New Zealand under multilateral frameworks and to jointly safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on the international law.

The Chinese foreign minister also elaborated on China's position on the Taiwan question, and issues related to Hong Kong, Xizang, South China Sea and human rights.

For his part, Peters noted during the meeting that China is an important partner of New Zealand, adding that bilateral ties have made great progress since the establishment of bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership 10 years ago.

New Zealand firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and looks forward to increased high-level exchanges, expanded cooperation in economy and trade, education, culture and climate action, and deepened communication and coordination in regional and international affairs, pushing for greater growth of bilateral ties in the coming decade or even 50 years.

He said that New Zealand welcomes the arrival of Chinese students and entrepreneurs to study and start businesses.

The two sides agreed to further conduct high-level exchanges, hold intergovernmental dialogues on foreign policy, trade, consular affairs, the South Pacific, climate change, and human rights, take further steps to facilitate personnel exchanges, and maintain active communication on China's participation in the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The two sides also exchanged in-depth views on Ukraine, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the Korean Peninsula, the situation in the South Pacific region and other international and regional issues of common concern.