News:
On 6 June 2023, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Chris Seed met with his Chinese counterpart Executive Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu in Beijing for the fourth round of New Zealand-China Foreign Affairs Consultations.
The consultations were held in person for the first time since 2019, and provided an opportunity to canvas our wide-ranging and comprehensive bilateral relationship, alongside discussion of regional and global issues.
“New Zealand attaches great value to these consultations, which contribute to our understanding of each other’s perspectives. They provide an opportunity to review the breadth of the bilateral relationship: the areas where we cooperate; where we engage on issues that matter to us; and where we acknowledge and manage our differences,” said Chris Seed.
The talks covered upcoming engagements aimed at reconnecting at all levels, including senior officials’ dialogues, and areas of cooperation such as trade, people to people links, agriculture, consular matters, climate change and the environment.
Each side also addressed matters of difference, including Aotearoa New Zealand’s concerns over the human rights situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The two sides discussed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The Secretary and the Vice Minister also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including the Pacific, Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine, Antarctica, South China Sea, and the integrity of the multilateral trading system.