dear prime minister lacson,
ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
hello, everyone! it gives me great pleasure to join you all here in the beautiful city of auckland. on behalf of the chinese government and people, i wish to express heartfelt thanks to people from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the growth of china-new zealand relations, and extend sincere greetings to the warm and friendly people of new zealand.
this year marks the 10th anniversary of president xi jinping's visit to new zealand and the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between china and new zealand. at such an important juncture, it is a great honor for me to visit this land of fascinating scenery and abundant resources at the invitation of prime minister laxon. we are pleased to see that over the past decade, china-new zealand relations have made historic progress and our cooperation in various fields has reached unprecedented breadth and depth. new zealand became the first western developed country to sign the belt and road cooperation document with china and the first to sign an upgraded version of the free trade agreement with china. china has remained new zealand's largest trading partner and largest export market, with bilateral trade doubling from around s $20 billion a decade ago to around s $40 billion today. cultural, tourism, education and sub-national exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have flourished, with 42 pairs of sister provinces, states and cities. the fruitful outcomes of china-singapore friendly cooperation have not only benefited the two peoples, but also contributed to regional and global prosperity and stability.
if we focus on a longer history, there will be more stories of friendship and cooperation between china and new zealand. over the past 52 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, china-new zealand relations have long taken the lead in china's relations with developed countries, setting many "firsts" together. dating back to the 1860s, when the first chinese set foot in otago, there has been a history of friendly exchanges between china and new zealand for nearly 160 years. in the past century and a half, the two countries have deepened exchanges and closer cooperation, and their friendship and understanding of each other have also been continuously enhanced. what i want to say today is that although china and new zealand are far apart and have different national conditions, we have many similarities and similarities, which makes it seem that we have a natural understanding and resonance with each other.
first, we all have respect for the natural ecology. the capital of china and new zealand has magnificent mountains and rivers and rich ecology. the traditional values of both countries emphasize reverence for nature, which makes us attach great importance to ecological protection and have a deep recognition of green development. as the famous "land of the long white cloud" and "pasture under the blue sky", new zealand has leveraged its natural endowment to become a developed country in the world based on high-level agriculture and animal husbandry, becoming a global model for ecological development and providing useful reference for china's modernization drive. the chinese people have always paid attention to the integration of nature and man. in recent years, the chinese people have implemented the important concept of "green water and green mountains are gold mountains and silver mountains", and vigorously promoted the green and low-carbon transformation of development mode. new energy vehicles, wind power, photovoltaic and other technologies are at the forefront of the world. the green development of our two countries not only benefits ourselves, but also contributes to the building of a clean and beautiful world.
second, we are all tolerant of multiculturalism. through exchanges, mutual learning and integrated development of different ethnic groups, china and new zealand have developed similar cultural characteristics that are inclusive and inclusive. in new zealand, maori culture, pacific island culture and eurasian culture complement each other and charm. in china, different regions, from food to clothing, from dialects to architecture, make up the rich and colorful chinese culture. such tolerance of diverse cultures has helped both china and new zealand cultivate an open mind. we all realize that complacency will only be eliminated by the times, and mutually beneficial cooperation can achieve common progress. over the past few decades, both china and new zealand have been committed to free trade, actively embraced the general trend of economic globalization, and benefited from it. our two countries have demonstrated that openness and cooperation is an indispensable success code for national development and prosperity.
third, we all have the pursuit of innovation and creation. new zealand has long enjoyed a strong atmosphere of innovation. since the end of the 19th century, new zealand has continuously improved agricultural productivity through technological innovations such as grass improvement and selective breeding, and agricultural science and technology has been leading the world. continuous research on motor, electronic control and other technologies has given birth to a number of world-renowned high-end brands such as "fisher & paykel". china also attaches great importance to scientific and technological innovation. in recent years, we have implemented the strategy of innovation-driven development, and new technologies, new industries and new forms of business have emerged. in the world intellectual property organization's global innovation index 2023 ranking, china and new zealand are relatively high. our two countries have a lot in common on innovation, which provides a good foundation for the two sides to strengthen cooperation.
fourthly, we all share a wish for world peace. this is largely due to the similar personality traits of the new people. new zealanders like to call themselves "kiwi". i learned that it is both a fruit and a bird, but they all have one thing in common, which is to make people feel kind and cute. the name spread around the world and became a vivid embodiment of the kindness, simplicity and friendliness of new zealanders. the chinese people often say that "harmony is the most precious, kindness is the foundation, and honesty is the first". this is a deep-rooted principle of life that has been nurtured by the 5,000 years of chinese civilization. these national qualities make china and new zealand share similar concepts and positions when looking at and handling international relations. we all stress that countries should live in harmony, dialogue rather than confrontation and cooperation rather than conflict. only in this way can we jointly safeguard regional and world peace and tranquility.
these rare similarities are the common wealth of china and new zealand. over the past 52 years, china-new zealand relations have grown steadily and our cooperation has been fruitful. both sides should cherish and safeguard these precious assets and make efforts to let them play a greater role in the future development of china-new zealand relations.
ladies and gentlemen, friends,
at present, the century-old changes in the world are accelerating, and the cause of global peace and development faces many difficulties. but as a new zealand proverb says, "when you turn to the sun, the shadow will fade." china is ready to work with new zealand to uphold common values, carry forward traditional friendship and upgrade the china-new zealand comprehensive strategic partnership to inject strong momentum into the stable development of the two countries, the region and the world at large.
first, deepen and expand practical cooperation across the board. china and new zealand enjoy strong economic complementarity and broad space for cooperation. we need to consolidate the foundation of cooperation in traditional areas such as biomedicine, agriculture and food, and at the same time, continue to tap the potential of cooperation in emerging areas such as new energy and digital economy to create more mutually beneficial convergence points and new economic growth points.
second, we need to deliver more benefits to our two peoples. the ultimate goal of cooperation is to benefit the people. we need to take improving people's well-being as an important consideration in advancing bilateral cooperation. we need to make rational coordination in policy formulation, project planning and resource input, and make strategic choices that truly benefit our people. china will include new zealand in the scope of unilateral visa-free countries, which will further facilitate personnel exchanges between the two countries.
third, contribute to peace and development in the asia-pacific region and the world at large. we need to strengthen communication and coordination in multilateral areas, uphold the international system with the united nations at its core and the international order based on international law, encourage all parties to practice genuine multilateralism, and work together to contribute wisdom to regional and world peace, stability, prosperity and development. given the sluggish global economic recovery, china is ready to work with new zealand to play its due role in restoring world economic growth.
since the beginning of this year, the chinese economy has continued to strengthen its momentum of recovery. in the first quarter of this year, china's gdp grew by 5.3% year-on-year, achieving a good start. consumption remains robust, investment is growing steadily, import and export are at a relatively high level, and market confidence continues to rise. recently, many international institutions such as the international monetary fund, the world bank and the oecd have raised their forecasts for china's economic growth, and china will remain the biggest engine of global economic growth. in the long run, the long-term positive trend of the chinese economy will not change. we are advancing chinese-style modernization with high-quality development in an all-round way, and the huge market of over 1.4 billion people will continue to unleash huge demand. china's new development is a great opportunity for the world. we will continue to share opportunities with other countries to achieve common development.
ladies and gentlemen, friends,
auckland is known as the "city of sails". as an old chinese saying goes, "those who row the same boat are the first." looking ahead, let us work together to make china-new zealand friendship and cooperation sail for greater success on a new journey.
thank you all!
source: chinese government website