China and New Zealand on Thursday signed agreements on trade and climate change during Premier Li Qiang's visit to the country, the highest level Chinese visit in seven years.

Li also expressed the hope that New Zealand can support Hong Kong in joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership when he met Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on the first day of his trip.

Ahead of the talks, the Premier was greeted on the lawns of Government House in the capital Wellington by Luxon and participated in a traditional indigenous Maori welcome.

After the meeting, Li said that the two agreed that it is important to expand cooperation on trade and investment and that China is ready to be part of New Zealand's efforts to double its value of exports in the next decade.

The Premier said Beijing will also extend visa-free travel to New Zealanders, while New Zealand will support Chinese language teaching and cultural exchanges.

"We agreed that it is important to promote the sustained sound and steady development of China and New Zealand relations," he said.

"We will continue to view and handle bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective to lay a solid political foundation of our cooperation in all fields.”

Li also said he expressed the hope that New Zealand could support the SAR in joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world's largest free trade agreement. Hong Kong officially requested to join RCEP in 2022.

Luxon for his part said they discussed the two country's significant economic relationship, with two-way trade in goods worth nearly 22.4 billion US dollars.

"China and New Zealand have different political systems and as with all of our long standing relationships, it is natural that we will raise our differences with China consistently and predictably," Luxon said.

Li will later visit Australia this weekend and then travel to Malaysia.
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Last updated: 2024-06-13 HKT 17:00