The Heat: Chinese ties with Australia & New Zealand

The Heat

Trade, business, tourism and innovation top the agenda, as China hosts the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand in separate rounds of bilateral talks.

To discuss China’s relationship Australia and New Zealand are:

  • Victor Gao, a Chinese international relations expert.
  • Tony Browne, who served as the New Zealand ambassador to China from 2004 to 2009 and was part of the delegation that just visited Beijing.
  • James Laurenceson, the Deputy Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology.
  • Sourabh Gupta, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for China – America Studies.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made his first visit to Beijing and Shanghai with a delegation of 1,000 business leaders. During the two-day trip, Turnbull met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, hoping to capitalize on China’s transition from an export-based economy to one that’s consumer driven.

China and Australia sealed a free trade agreement in 2014, creating more opportunities for trade and engagement between the two countries. China is Australia’s largest trading partner.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key also received a warm welcome from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping in Beijing. This was the sixth visit for Key, who is working to negotiate a better free trade agreement with China’s leadership.

New Zealand was the first country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to sign a free trade agreement with China in 2008. China became New Zealand’s largest export market in 2014. The two sides signed five cooperation agreements in areas, including agriculture, finance and education.