CCG hosts closed joint roundtable with New Zealand China Council

On May 10, 2023, CCG hosted a closed roundtable conference jointly with the New Zealand China Council with the theme ‘Towards a More Resilient New Zealand-China Relationship’. Representatives from both sides engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as trade cooperation between China and New Zealand, the development of China-New Zealand diplomatic relations and cultural exchange. Mike Liu, Vice President and Senior Fellow from the Center for China and Globalization (CCG), and Alistair Crozier, Executive Director at the New Zealand China Council gave welcome speeches, while H.E. Grahame Morton, Ambassador of New Zealand to China, and Ambassador ZHAN Yongxin, Chairman of China National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation, each delivered keynote speeches.

During a meeting with New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta on March 24, 2023, Director of the CPC Central Committee Office of China’s Foreign Affairs Commission, Wang Yi, stated that China is New Zealand’s number one trading partner and export market, emphasizing that China regards New Zealand as an important cooperative partner and has full confidence in the certainty and stability of China-New Zealand relations. New Zealand and China are poised to make good use of the upgraded bilateral FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to boost economic and trade cooperation.

During the roundtable, representatives from both China and New Zealand delved into topics ranging from regional trade architecture to New Zealand-China engagement, both diplomatically and in people-to-people exchanges, in a post-COVID world. All parties agreed that while the global economy is currently facing uncertainty and numerous challenges on a number of fronts, China’s economy remains resilient and shows considerable vitality in the post-epidemic era. Meanwhile, China has already made serious moves toward joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which it views as an open and inclusive agreement.

China also feels that the close-knit base of cultural communication between the two countries provides great potential for cooperation in areas such as education, research and development, and the digital economy. These cultural exchanges, which promote mutual trust and understanding, and inject new life into China-New Zealand relations, will doubtlessly go a long way to reinforcing the development of even more robust trade partnerships on both sides.

Representatives that participated in this roundtable included:

Fran O’Sullivan, Editorial Director Business, NZ Media and Entertainment (NZME)

AN Baisheng, Deputy Director, Institute of World Economy, China Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, MOFCOM

LI Siqi, Associate Professor at the Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE)

Andy Mok, Senior Fellow, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Neil Quigley, Vice-Chancellor, Waikato University

WU Mengqi, Research Fellow, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Justin Watson, CEO, Christchurch International Airport

Zichen Wang, Director for Int’l Comms and Research Fellow, Center for China and Globalization (CCG)

Sima Karapeeva, Trade and Economic Manager, Meat Industry Association (MIA)

Cleo Guilmour, General Manager and Co-founder of LILO Deserts

Luke Qin, International Finance Strategy Lead, Kiwibank

Andrew White, Regional Director Greater China, NZ Trade & Enterprise

Stuart Zohrab, Second Secretary (Economic), Embassy of New Zealand

Lina Tao, Policy Advisor, Embassy of New Zealand

QUAN Yi, Director of Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Fujian Academy of Social Sciences

JIN Shibo, Assistant Research Fellow, Fujian Academy of Social Sciences

LIU Yafang, Assistant Research Fellow, Fujian Academy of Social Sciences

Ann Tang, Deputy Secretary General, CCG