Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will head a 29-person business delegation to Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai.
The Prime Minister will meet with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji in China.
Since becoming Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins has prioritized working with business to improve export growth to develop the economy.
“China represents nearly a quarter of our exports, was our second largest source of tourists pre-COVID, and is a significant source of international students, so it’s critical to our economic recovery.
The delegation’s makeup reflects our goal of diversifying our export offering beyond traditional goods like dairy, meat, and wood to China.
“The delegation also includes tourism and education representatives, with strong demand recovery forecast in both.
Te Whānau an Apanui, champions of Te Matatini, will accompany the group and promote New Zealand as a world-class tourism destination.
Chris Hipkins said, “This is a particularly timely opportunity to promote New Zealand’s tourism industry with direct airline connectivity out of China expected to return to around 75% of pre-Covid levels in the June quarter of 2023.
Beijing
The Prime Minister will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and Standing Committee Chairman Zhao Leji in Beijing.
“I’m looking forward to meeting with China’s leadership through various face-to-face bilateral meetings to discuss climate change, economic stability, regional and global security, human rights, and the war in Ukraine,” Chris Hipkins said.
The Prime Minister will host a Gala dinner and participate in a variety of business-to-business engagements, including climate change and sustainability.
The Prime Minister will attend a sustainability roundtable and a showcase event promoting New Zealand as a tourist, education, and high-quality consumer product destination.
He will keynote Peking University and host a roundtable to promote New Zealand foreign education.
Tianjin
The World Economic Forum’s “Annual Meeting of New Champions” in Tianjin will start with the Prime Minister.
He will attend a New Zealand food and beverage festival in Tianjin.
Shanghai
In Shanghai, the Prime Minister will establish a major Tourism NZ collaboration, conduct high-level business meetings, and visit events promoting New Zealand’s food producers, dairy, agri tech, and creative sectors.
He’ll also meet Shanghai leaders.
New Zealand firms rely on East China. Chris Hipkins said he was looking forward to seeing their China staff and partners in Shanghai and presenting our innovative, world-class goods and services in one of the world’s largest consumer marketplaces.
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor and Tourism Minister Peeni Henare will accompany Prime Minister Hipkins.
25–30 June will see the delegation in China.