中文
By Hamzah Rifaat Hussain
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Bangkok, Thailand, November 18, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]
Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with New Zealand's Governor-General Cindy Kiro on the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand on December 22.
Also, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang exchanged goodwill messages with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as both countries placed importance on the significance of bilateral ties in 2022. For both Wellington and Beijing, there are numerous opportunities to carry the strategic relationship forward by building on historical experiences and capitalizing on comprehensive strategic partnerships. Positive optics and trends certainly point at optimism.
On the occasion, President Xi underlined how the past 50 years ensured that ties remained healthy and stable whereas the New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged China's key role in promoting regional prosperity in the Asia Pacific. On trade alone, both sides have achievements to their credit, such as the signing of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in April 2008 which was the first agreement China signed with a developed country and also New Zealand's largest trade deal since the 1983 Closer Economic Relations agreement with Australia.
It was also in January 2021 that both sides signed a deal to upgrade the FTA to allow New Zealand greater access to the Chinese market that included reducing or eliminating tariffs on exports such as seafood, dairy products and timber. This ease of market access compliments China accounting for 62.5 percent of New Zealand's export growth which has witnessed a rise of 70 percent over the past five years.
With clear optimism on the trading front, there is also a need to manage misperceptions between the two sides to prevent spoilers from harming the relationship. Conspiracy theories promoted by lobbyists in New Zealand for example have prevented the relationship from being grounded in historical sensibility which includes being held hostage to negative propaganda. As pointed out previously by Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian, New Zealand has remained committed to the one-China principle and any attempt to renege on it would harm bilateral relations.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses a reception marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and China in Auckland, New Zealand, December 9, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]
Instead, building on positives such as acknowledging each other's role in promoting joint prosperity is the right course of action. China's role in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership which constitutes 30 percent of global GDP and is the largest trading bloc in history is one such example.
Furthermore, elimination of tariffs and establishing common rules on intellectual property, trade and e-commerce is an excellent initiative to integrate the Asia Pacific as acknowledged by the Ardern administration in Bangkok in November 2022. Similarly, New Zealand as a major driving force behind the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation which was established to promote greater interdependence of the Asia Pacific has been acknowledged by China.
At the micro level, several avenues exist for both sides to tap in for joint prosperity. Recently, China and New Zealand vowed to cooperate jointly on combating livestock disease which is described as a concrete manifestation of pragmatic cooperation that exists between the two countries. With experts endeavoring to safeguard animal husbandry and the agricultural industry from stagnating, countries like New Zealand can greatly benefit as the sector is the largest of its tradable economy.
Moving forward, a people centric approach where there is extensive cultural contact between the two populations will also serve the bilateral relationship well. History is evidence to this fact given that several missionaries, aid workers and telegraph workers from New Zealand have worked in China as long term residents and after New Zealand instated a 1987 policy for skilled based immigration, the foreign born population of Chinese origin stood at 51 percent in 2019 alone.
Hence, the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and New Zealand brings with it numerous avenues for both sides to explore for greater prosperity, mutually beneficial cooperation and investments in technology, trade and climate change. Boosting regional trade and promoting cooperation on global challenges such as developing pandemic resilience will take China-New Zealand relations to greater heights which is exactly the need of the hour.
The author is a former visiting fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington and former assistant researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
