A few details are quite profound, this Prime Minister's first visit to China during his tenure | New Zealand | profound

"Just as delicious as my hometown!"

On June 27th, while visiting supermarkets in Tianjin, New Zealand Prime Minister Hopkins tasted kiwi fruits exported from New Zealand to China and sincerely praised them.

On the evening of the 25th, Hopkins led a delegation to Beijing and embarked on a 5-day trip to China. This is his first official visit to China since taking office as Prime Minister, and also the first visit by a New Zealand Prime Minister to China since 2019.

As early as June 12th, when announcing his visit to China, Hopkins mentioned, "It has been proven that in recent years, with the support of recently upgraded free trade agreements, our economic and trade relations have been extremely resilient."

This time, Hopkins led an economic and trade delegation to China, which attracted a lot of attention. The goal of this visit is to explore more opportunities for cooperation and promote the New China relationship to a new level.

Before Hopkins' visit, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong, published a signed article in The New Zealand Herald, citing New Zealand Maori proverbs to summarize the development of bilateral relations. The Governor of Chang'an Street noticed that from the many details of Hopkins' visit to China, it also confirms several Maori proverbs.

"Let's work together and have a full meal."

China Singapore relations have long been the leader in China's relations with developed countries. Pragmatic cooperation is an important driving force for the continuous progress of bilateral relations, and economic and trade cooperation is an important component of China Singapore relations, which also interprets the Maori proverb "work together, eat your fill".

The Chinese and Singapore economies are highly complementary, and interests are deeply intertwined. Half a century after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the bilateral trade volume between the two countries has increased from the initial 7 million Singapore dollars to over 40 billion Singapore dollars in 2022.

China has been New Zealand's largest trading partner, largest export market, and largest source of imports for many consecutive years. The bilateral trade volume between China and Singapore is still maintaining a growth momentum, and the close economic and trade exchanges between the two sides are effectively promoting the economic development of the two countries.

In 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the upgraded protocol to the China Singapore Free Trade Agreement officially came into effect, injecting strong impetus into economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

On the eve of his visit to China, Hopkins said that China accounted for about 1/4 of New Zealand's exports. Before the outbreak of the COVID-19, China was New Zealand's second largest source of tourists and an important source of New Zealand's international students. "China is vital to New Zealand's economic recovery".

On June 2nd, the National Bureau of Statistics of New Zealand released international trade data for the first quarter of this year, showing that China remains New Zealand's largest trading partner, with Australia, the United States, the European Union, and Singapore ranking 2-5 respectively.

In the first quarter, the total trade volume of goods and services between New Zealand and China was SGD 9.38 billion, of which New Zealand's exports to China were SGD 5.29 billion and imports from China were SGD 4.09 billion.

Half a century of pragmatic cooperation has paved the way for a mutually beneficial and healthy development between China and Singapore. As a strong artery, economic and trade continue to drive the two countries towards a close relationship of mutual benefit and mutual benefit.

"I am proud of New Zealand's economic and trade relations with China," said Tim Groze, former Minister of Trade of New Zealand, in a speech recently

"The future is bright"

In 2022, the trade volume of goods between China and Singapore reached a new high, further demonstrating the resilience and potential of pragmatic cooperation between the two sides. The future is bright.

"Exporting traditional commodities such as dairy products, meat, and wood to China remains crucial, but we must also support emerging industries such as gaming, health, and wellness." Prior to his visit to China, Hopkins demonstrated his ambition to further expand trade between China and Singapore.

To achieve this goal, it can be said that Hopkins has great sincerity in coming to China this time. It can be seen from several details.

One is a backup aircraft. According to Bloomberg on the 26th, in order to ensure a smooth visit to China, Hopkins specially brought a spare plane.

Hopkins departed for Beijing on the 25th, while another plane landed in Manila, Philippines to serve as a backup plane in the event of mechanical failure on the first plane.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office stated that considering the importance of this visit to China and the distance of the long-distance flight, "we believe it is necessary to dispatch a backup plane to ensure the success of the visit to our largest trading partner."

Secondly, a carefully arranged delegation. The New Zealand Embassy in China previously reported that Hopkins led a 29 person business delegation to visit China.

According to The New Zealand Herald, in addition to the Minister of Trade and Export Growth, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of Tourism, representatives of well-known New Zealand companies such as Air New Zealand, Fonterra, Jiapei, Lai Mei, and Silver Fern Farm were also included in the visiting delegation to China.

Among the visiting delegation to China, there are also representatives from the champion tribe of this year's New Zealand National Maori War Dance Competition. Hopkins stated that the tribe will assist in promoting New Zealand's image as a world-class tourist destination.

Hopkins stated in Beijing that Singapore attaches great importance to the development of relations with China. My current visit to China, led by an economic and trade delegation, aims to explore more opportunities for cooperation and promote the New China relationship to a new level.

Thirdly, the busy schedule. According to reports, Hopkins will visit Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai to participate in a series of corporate partnership activities, attend the 14th Summer Davos Forum, and launch tourism partnership projects.

In Beijing, Hopkins attended the "Meet New Zealand" experience event, introducing New Zealand's tourism, education and other industries. He also went shopping on Xiushui Street and purchased panda dolls and Chinese children's clothing for a pair of children. In Tianjin, he made a special trip to the supermarket, which led to the scene of tasting kiwifruit at the beginning of this article.

No wonder netizens use trendy language: "This tight schedule is quite explosive in the entire field of visiting China." Behind the busy arrangement, it shows the sincerity of the new party's efforts to enhance economic and trade relations.

"When you face the sun, the shadows will eventually dissipate"

Two years ago, when the COVID-19 epidemic was raging around the world, the proverb "When you face the sun, the shadow will disappear" was a strong witness of China Singapore working together to walk out of the haze of the epidemic.

Two years later, the global economic recovery still faces challenges, with some countries advocating anti globalization trends such as decoupling and risk reduction. The world is still struggling to move forward amidst complex factors.

For New Zealand, the gross domestic product has experienced negative growth for two consecutive quarters. Since the beginning of this year, inflation has intensified, natural disasters such as floods have occurred frequently in Auckland and other areas, and the cost of living for new residents has continued to rise.

Under the shadow and challenges, pragmatic exchanges and win-win cooperation have provided a strong light, while China and Singapore have chosen to face the sun, stepping into a new chapter after half a century of "golden age" and opening a new 50 years of bilateral relations; On the basis of establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership for 10 years, we will continue to work together to reach a new level of stability and progress.

I believe that the gentleman's friendship between China and Singapore, which faces the sun, is open and straightforward, and harmonious but different, will bring tangible benefits to the people of both countries and inject more positive energy into their relations.