China, New Zealand to elevate ties

President Xi Jinping called on Friday for greater efforts to prioritize cooperation between China and New Zealand to elevate bilateral ties, during a meeting with visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Beijing.

Luxon's four-day trip to the country, which wrapped up on Friday, was his first official visit to China since taking office in November 2023.

Xi noted that over the past 50 years, China-New Zealand relations have withstood changes in the global landscape and remained at the forefront of China's ties with Western developed nations, delivering tangible benefits to both peoples. The two countries established a comprehensive strategic partnership during Xi's 2014 state visit to New Zealand.

As the partnership enters its second decade, Xi urged both sides to jointly advance relations and bring more benefits to the two peoples, saying that the two sides should leverage complementary strengths, deepen cooperation in trade and investment, and tap the potential in scientific innovation, climate response and infrastructure development.

He also called for broader exchanges in education, culture and youth, and at the nongovernmental and subnational levels.

"There are no historical grievances or fundamental conflicts of interests between China and New Zealand. Both countries should respect each other, seek common ground while reserving differences, and appropriately view and address differences and disagreements," Xi said.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the founding of the United Nations. Xi emphasized the shared responsibility of both countries to uphold the UN-centered international system and the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, while calling for joint efforts to safeguard international fairness and justice and promote a fairer and more equitable international order.

Luxon reaffirmed New Zealand's commitment to the one-China policy and said his country values mutual respect, mutual understanding and high-level engagement with China.

Amid growing global uncertainty, Luxon said that the international community looks to China to play a greater role. He expressed New Zealand's willingness to strengthen coordination with China to uphold the multilateral trading system and address global challenges. He also voiced support for China's hosting of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in 2026.

In a social media post, he described the meeting with Xi as "constructive", adding, "We discussed the depth of the NZ-China relationship — from trade and people-to-people ties to our shared global responsibilities. In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever."

On Friday in Beijing, Luxon also met separately with Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

During the talks with Luxon, Li expressed China's readiness to further expand bilateral trade, and extend cooperation to emerging fields such as new-energy vehicles, green and low-carbon industries, and digital technology applications. He also expressed hope that New Zealand would provide a fair and open business environment for Chinese enterprises operating there.

After the meeting, Li and Luxon witnessed the signing of a number of cooperation deals covering areas such as customs and climate change.

Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, said high-level exchanges play a vital role in stabilizing China-New Zealand ties and promoting regional cooperation. "In a world full of uncertainty, New Zealand is seeking certainty through deeper cooperation with China," Chen said, adding that stable economic ties are especially important amid weak global growth.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn