New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will visit China, looking to foster trade ties and woo tourists and students, although issues of security and defence will figure on his agenda in meetings with top leaders.
Making his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in November 2023, Luxon will arrive in the financial hub of Shanghai before heading to Beijing for meetings on Friday with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, his office said.
The first developed nation to sign a free trade deal with Beijing in 2008, New Zealand counts dairy, meat and wood products as its largest items of export to China. Tourism and education are major services sectors.
Chinese tourists are the third-largest group of international visitors to New Zealand, though their numbers are still nearly a fifth lower than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, official data shows.
On the weekend, New Zealand said it would start in November a 12-month trial of visa waivers for Chinese passport holders arriving from Australia with visas valid for its neighbour, reciprocating China’s visa-free policy for New Zealanders last year.
Luxon, who has called China “a vital part” of his Pacific nation’s economic story, has told domestic media that based on the “mature relationship” with Beijing, he expects talks during his four-day visit to cover topics of security and defence.
“The challenging global outlook makes it vital that we are sharing perspectives and engaging China on issues that matter to New Zealand,” his office said. — Reuters
