New Zealand PM Hipkins to visit China
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday he will visit China at the end of this month as head of a trade delegation. The New Zealand delegation would include representatives of a wide range of sectors including dairy, tourism, education and gaming, Hipkins told a weekly media conference. With stops in Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai, it will be the first visit to China by a New Zealand leader since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic "The relationship with China is one of New Zealand's most significant, wide-ranging and complex," Hipkins said. He expressed hope that the relationship would remain "stable and consistent", while vowing to raise issues of concern when necessary. "Where we have human rights concerns we will raise them, where we have concerns around trade or any other policy issue we will raise those," he said. This will be the first visit to China by Hipkins since he became leader in January when former prime minister Jacinda Ardern stood down. Almost a quarter of New Zealand's export earnings come from China, making it one of the Western nations most dependent on ties with Beijing. Unlike Australia, New Zealand has not faced Chinese trade barriers in connection with various disputes in recent years. (Agencies)