Commentary: "China is a Key Part of New Zealand's Economic Recovery" Premier | China Singapore | Economy
From June 25th to 30th, New Zealand Prime Minister Hopkins led a delegation to visit China. This is Prime Minister Hopkins' first visit to China since taking office and has received widespread attention from foreign media.
Promoting economic and trade cooperation between China and Singapore is an important highlight of Hopkins' visit to China. The official website of the New Zealand government shows that Hopkins will visit Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai successively. He said, "China accounts for nearly 1/4 of all our exports, making it our second largest source of travelers before the pandemic and an important source of international students. Therefore, China is a crucial part of New Zealand's economic recovery."
According to Agence France Presse, the accompanying delegation of the New Zealand Prime Minister to China this time includes representatives from multiple industries such as dairy products, tourism, and education. The Otago Daily in New Zealand reported that the visit of the New Zealand Prime Minister to China will bring benefits to both sides. During this visit, Hopkins will seek to revitalize trade relations between the two countries, and attracting Chinese tourists to return will be a key focus.
By implementing the upgraded version of the China Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, there is still broader space for deepening economic and trade cooperation between China and Singapore. The international trade data for the first quarter of 2023 recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics of New Zealand shows that China remains New Zealand's largest trading partner and export destination. Voice of America website quoted Hopkins as saying that New Zealand is eager to achieve trade diversification with China. Exporting traditional commodities such as dairy products, meat, and wood to China is very important, but supporting the export of emerging industries such as gaming, hygiene, and health products and services to China is also crucial.
It is not difficult to understand that the visit of the Prime Minister of New Zealand to China has attracted much attention, and the bilateral relationship between China and New Zealand has long been at the forefront of China's relations with developed Western countries. According to an article in The Guardian, last year marked the 50th anniversary of China Singapore diplomatic relations. For a long time, China and Singapore have been proud to create many "firsts" in their bilateral relationship history. New Zealand is the first developed Western country to end bilateral negotiations with China on China's accession to the World Trade Organization, recognize China's full market economy status, and sign bilateral free trade agreements with China.
I believe that the visit of the Prime Minister of New Zealand to China will once again bring important implications: dialogue should be chosen instead of confrontation with China, and cooperation should be sought instead of conflict.