China and New Zealand have reached an agreement
On April 13, Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, held talks in Beijing with New Zealand's Speaker Brownlee, exchanging views on multiple topics including bilateral relations and cooperation, and reaching broad consensus.
This will greatly benefit the future development of relations between the two countries and has played a significant leading role.
Key points from the talks:
Zhao Leji stated: First, China is willing to work with New Zealand to implement important consensus reached by leaders of both countries, strengthen strategic communication, and deepen pragmatic cooperation.
Second, he commended New Zealand for repeatedly reaffirming its adherence to the one-China policy.
Third, China is ready to focus on development and cooperation with New Zealand, deepening collaboration in traditional sectors such as agriculture, forestry, and electromechanical industries, and expanding cooperation into more emerging fields.
Fourth, China is open to practical cooperation with New Zealand in areas including ecological and environmental legislation and green, low-carbon development.
Brownlee said: First, New Zealand highly values cooperation with China, and the Sino-New Zealand relationship is already very mature.
Second, New Zealand adheres to the one-China policy and acknowledges China’s remarkable developmental achievements.
Third, both sides have achieved fruitful results in cooperation across multiple fields, including trade and economy, and new energy.
Fourth, New Zealand is willing to strengthen friendly exchanges with China’s National People’s Congress and deepen dialogue in various areas.
What are the implications and impacts?
First, this will further promote the development of bilateral relations. Since members of the New Zealand parliamentary delegation come from various political parties—all supporting deeper ties with China—this visit was made possible through their collective support.
In their view, leveraging China’s supply chains and market is essential for greater growth, so they will likely introduce more favorable policies to encourage Chinese enterprises to invest locally.
Second, it helps China expand its influence and market presence, especially in local sectors like agriculture and tourism—areas where there is already a solid foundation for cooperation and vast potential for future development.
Most importantly, many industries in New Zealand still require Chinese assistance, particularly in energy and artificial intelligence, among other key sectors.
Third, this move further weakens America’s negotiating leverage and reduces U.S. influence in the region, correspondingly enhancing China’s voice and standing in New Zealand.
Why did they come to China?
First, New Zealand clearly recognizes that China’s influence continues to grow, and thus seeks to harness China’s strength to participate in more international affairs and enhance its global profile.
Second, New Zealand places great importance on the development of agriculture and tourism and hopes to gain support from China.
Third, although New Zealand has long been deeply aligned with the United States, recent actions by the U.S. have disappointed them, prompting a decision to seek new, reliable partners.
Fourth, this visit is preparing the ground for higher-level visits to China in the future.
In summary: Given the current context—Vietnam, the UAE, and Spain all recently visiting China—it’s clear that China’s influence is continuously growing, and New Zealand has also chosen to send a delegation on an official visit.
They fully understand that to achieve more cooperation in the coming period, they must actively show goodwill toward China. After all, China is becoming a crucial engine driving global economic development, and New Zealand must rely on China to reduce its dependence on the U.S. market.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1862411912099852/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.