BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters in Beijing on Wednesday.
Han said leaders of both sides met on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting last November, providing strategic guidance for the continued development of China-New Zealand relations from a new starting point, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Noting that as the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership enters its second decade, Han said that China attaches great importance to the development of China-New Zealand relations and stands ready to work with New Zealand to implement the important consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, enhance mutual understanding, and promote the sustained, sound and steady development of the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership.
Peters, meanwhile, said New Zealand attaches importance to developing relations with China and is willing to strengthen dialogue, enhance understanding, and deepen economic and trade cooperation as China’s partner.
During the meeting with Peters on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the two sides should adhere to the correct understanding of each other, transcend the differences in history, culture, geography, and system, further develop friendly cooperation based on mutual respect, and become partners of mutual trust and mutual achievements. As for some specific differences, the two sides can properly resolve them through constructive dialogue.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the two sides should focus on mutually beneficial cooperation. He added that China’s high-level opening-up and super-large market will continue to provide New Zealand with greater cooperation opportunities.
The two sides should promote the upgrading of economic and trade cooperation, launch the negative list negotiations on service trade as soon as possible, and jointly build new growth engines such as artificial intelligence, green economy and coping with climate change, Wang noted.
Liu Jianchao, head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, also met Peters in Beijing on Tuesday. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
