Latest news with #Luxon
Nahar Net
2 hours ago
- Business
- Nahar Net
New Zealand Prime Minister Luxon talks trade in meeting with China's Xi
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 15:08 The prime minister of New Zealand stressed the mutual benefits of trade with China in a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, while acknowledging their disagreements on geopolitical issues. Christopher Luxon, on his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in late 2023, flew to Beijing after two days of meetings with officials and business leaders in Shanghai, China's commercial center. He wants to maintain healthy trade ties despite differences over regional and global security issues and China's growing divide with the United States. China is an important market for New Zealand food, dairy and other exports. Xi told Luxon that the two countries should seek common ground while setting aside their differences, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. He called for deepening trade and investment cooperation and exploring cooperation in areas such as climate. Luxon raised the necessity of reducing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a news release from his office. He also brought up the importance of what he called "the key role" that China can play in helping to resolve global challenges such as the war in Ukraine, "In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever," Luxon said in a post about the meeting on X. His exchange with Xi came one day after revelations that New Zealand had suspended millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands over concerns about the latter's deepening ties with China. China accounts for more than 20% of New Zealand's exports of goods and services. "Our trade and economic links are complementary and contribute to prosperity in both countries," Luxon was quoted as saying in the news release. New Zealand announced this week a limited easing of visa requirements for Chinese visitors, a major source of tourism revenue. Luxon is headed to Europe next, where he will have meetings in Brussels and the Netherlands, his office said. He will discuss trade, security and geopolitical issues with European Union leaders. In the Netherlands, he is an invited guest to next week's NATO summit in The Hague.
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First Post
3 hours ago
- Business
- First Post
New Zealand's Luxon meets China's Xi, talks trade: ‘Complex world, open dialogue more important than ever'
Christopher Luxon, on his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in late 2023, flew to Beijing after two days of meetings with officials and business leaders in Shanghai, China's commercial center read more In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, visiting New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, left shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to their bilateral meeting in Beijing, Friday, June 20, 2025. (Shen Hong/Xinhua via AP) The prime minister of New Zealand stressed the mutual benefits of trade with China in a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday, while acknowledging their disagreements on geopolitical issues. Christopher Luxon, on his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in late 2023, flew to Beijing after two days of meetings with officials and business leaders in Shanghai, China's commercial center. He wants to maintain healthy trade ties despite differences over regional and global security issues and China's growing divide with the United States. China is an important market for New Zealand food, dairy and other exports. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Xi told Luxon that the two countries should seek common ground while setting aside their differences, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. He called for deepening trade and investment cooperation and exploring cooperation in areas such as climate. Luxon raised the necessity of reducing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a news release from his office. He also brought up the importance of what he called 'the key role' that China can play in helping to resolve global challenges such as the war in Ukraine, 'In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever,' Luxon said in a post about the meeting on X. His exchange with Xi came one day after revelations that New Zealand had suspended millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands over concerns about the latter's deepening ties with China. China accounts for more than 20% of New Zealand's exports of goods and services. 'Our trade and economic links are complementary and contribute to prosperity in both countries,' Luxon was quoted as saying in the news release. New Zealand announced this week a limited easing of visa requirements for Chinese visitors, a major source of tourism revenue. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Luxon is headed to Europe next, where he will have meetings in Brussels and the Netherlands, his office said. He will discuss trade, security and geopolitical issues with European Union leaders. In the Netherlands, he is an invited guest to next week's NATO summit in The Hague.
The Star
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Leaders of China, New Zealand discuss trade, Pacific security
Visiting New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with Chinese President Xi Jinping prior to their bilateral meeting in Beijing, on June 20, 2025. - AP BEIJING/SYDNEY: The leaders of China and New Zealand discussed on Friday (June 20) the role of trade in boosting ties, while New Zealand also pressed its interests for peace and security in the Pacific, government statements showed. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met in the capital's Great Hall of the People as China's influence grows in the Pacific, challenging the traditionally stronger security foothold many Western nations have had there. On his first visit to China since taking office in November 2023, Luxon discussed the need for stability, less tension in the Indo-Pacific and New Zealand's "enduring support for Pacific-led priorities", his government said in a statement. Luxon's meeting with the leader of New Zealand's biggest trade partner was "constructive", he said in a post on X. "We discussed the depth of the New Zealand-China relationship - from trade and people-to-people ties to our shared global responsibilities," he said. "In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever." The remarks came after New Zealand aired concerns this year when Cook Islands, with which it has constitutional ties, signed pacts with China without first consulting it, including one for cooperation on the economy, infrastructure and seabed mining. Luxon also backed up the role of the Pacific Islands Forum, an inter-government body seeking to foster cooperation among Oceanic countries and territories. Without making specific reference to any issue, Xi called for both countries to seek common ground and view differences "accurately", state news agency Xinhua said. "There are no historical grudges or conflicts of interest between China and New Zealand, so we should respect each other, seek common ground," Xi told Luxon, it said, adding that both must accurately look at and tackle disagreements. During his four-day visit to the commercial hub of Shanghai and the capital, Beijing, Luxon has championed an agenda of boosting business, travel and education for New Zealand. Xi also talked about deepening trade and investment ties, as well as scope to work on science and technology, climate change response and infrastructure along with education exchanges - echoing most of Luxon's goals. Luxon documented his meetings on Instagram, posting video messages to fellow citizens reinforcing his mission of getting "money into your back pocket". He clinched travel-related pacts and pushed New Zealand's tertiary education as well as its exports of meat, a key item of trade with China after dairy. Its exports to China were NZ$20.85 billion ($12.51 billion) in 2024, comprising goods worth NZ$17.75 billion and services of NZ$3.1 billion, the foreign ministry said on its website. Chinese tourists are New Zealand's third-largest group of international visitors, though official data show their numbers are still nearly a fifth lower than in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. China Eastern Airlines will launch more flights with New Zealand from December, the New Zealand government said on Wednesday. Days before the visit, New Zealand unveiled a 12-month trial of visa waivers from November for Chinese passport holders arriving from Australia with valid visas from its neighbour. - Reuters
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- Business
- The Advertiser
NZ's Luxon praises Xi after rare Beijing bilateral
China President Xi Jinping has acknowledged at-times strained ties with New Zealand during a bilateral meeting with Chris Luxon in Beijing. Mr Luxon secured the meeting with the long-serving leader as part of what he hoped would be a trade-focused trip to China this week. Instead, tensions between his country and the Cook Islands has cast a geopolitical cloud over his meeting with Mr Xi. New Zealand has cut aid to Cook Islands after accusing it of breaching trust for inking secretly negotiated agreements with China that run contrary to a treaty that it must consult with Wellington over defence and security pacts. It's not clear if that was what was Mr Xi was referring to in his welcoming remarks - the only part of their bilateral meeting which was open to media - to Mr Luxon at the Great Hall of the People on Friday. "(In the) 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs," Mr Xi said, according to reports. "But we have always respected each other." On Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun suggested displeasure at New Zealand's response to growing Cook Islands-China ties. "China's co-operation with the Cook Islands does not target any third party, and should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party," he said. New Zealand, which has a formal alliance with Australia and strong defence links with the west, prides itself on maintaining a strong ties with China. Chinese leaders, including Mr Xi, have referred to a "relationship of firsts" with New Zealand. New Zealand was the first western nation to support it joining the WTO in 1997, to designate it a market economy in 2004, to secure a free-trade deal in 2008, and signing on to its Belt and Road infrastructure network in 2017. The bilateral meeting comes amid a furious debate on the direction of foreign policy in New Zealand. Previous leaders, including Helen Clark, argue Mr Luxon's government risks New Zealand's prosperity by aligning too close to the west and over-militarising the Pacific. Mr Luxon leaves such debate for his foreign minister, Winston Peters, who says Ms Clark suffers from "relevance deprivation syndrome" and should stay quiet. Mr Xi met Mr Luxon for the first time last year on the sidelines of the APEC summit, and on Friday, he offered praise for the Kiwi leader. "I remember that you said that you wish to further advance bilateral relations on the basis of our past partnership and friendship," he said. "I appreciate your positive attitude and I'm ready to work together with you for new progress." Mr Luxon also personally praised Mr Xi, president since 2013, for strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. "The relationship has flourished under your leadership," Mr Luxon said, keeping his eyes on trade. "We have big ambitions to grow the New Zealand economy, and building trade between New Zealand and China is a really important contribution to that." Before his political engagements in Beijing, Mr Luxon spent three days in Shanghai hawking New Zealand's produce and services. His conservative government, which took office in late 2023, has a cornerstone ambition of doubling Kiwi exports within a decade, and China - as the destination for more than 20 per cent of exported Kiwi goods and services - will be essential to reaching that. China President Xi Jinping has acknowledged at-times strained ties with New Zealand during a bilateral meeting with Chris Luxon in Beijing. Mr Luxon secured the meeting with the long-serving leader as part of what he hoped would be a trade-focused trip to China this week. Instead, tensions between his country and the Cook Islands has cast a geopolitical cloud over his meeting with Mr Xi. New Zealand has cut aid to Cook Islands after accusing it of breaching trust for inking secretly negotiated agreements with China that run contrary to a treaty that it must consult with Wellington over defence and security pacts. It's not clear if that was what was Mr Xi was referring to in his welcoming remarks - the only part of their bilateral meeting which was open to media - to Mr Luxon at the Great Hall of the People on Friday. "(In the) 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs," Mr Xi said, according to reports. "But we have always respected each other." On Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun suggested displeasure at New Zealand's response to growing Cook Islands-China ties. "China's co-operation with the Cook Islands does not target any third party, and should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party," he said. New Zealand, which has a formal alliance with Australia and strong defence links with the west, prides itself on maintaining a strong ties with China. Chinese leaders, including Mr Xi, have referred to a "relationship of firsts" with New Zealand. New Zealand was the first western nation to support it joining the WTO in 1997, to designate it a market economy in 2004, to secure a free-trade deal in 2008, and signing on to its Belt and Road infrastructure network in 2017. The bilateral meeting comes amid a furious debate on the direction of foreign policy in New Zealand. Previous leaders, including Helen Clark, argue Mr Luxon's government risks New Zealand's prosperity by aligning too close to the west and over-militarising the Pacific. Mr Luxon leaves such debate for his foreign minister, Winston Peters, who says Ms Clark suffers from "relevance deprivation syndrome" and should stay quiet. Mr Xi met Mr Luxon for the first time last year on the sidelines of the APEC summit, and on Friday, he offered praise for the Kiwi leader. "I remember that you said that you wish to further advance bilateral relations on the basis of our past partnership and friendship," he said. "I appreciate your positive attitude and I'm ready to work together with you for new progress." Mr Luxon also personally praised Mr Xi, president since 2013, for strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. "The relationship has flourished under your leadership," Mr Luxon said, keeping his eyes on trade. "We have big ambitions to grow the New Zealand economy, and building trade between New Zealand and China is a really important contribution to that." Before his political engagements in Beijing, Mr Luxon spent three days in Shanghai hawking New Zealand's produce and services. His conservative government, which took office in late 2023, has a cornerstone ambition of doubling Kiwi exports within a decade, and China - as the destination for more than 20 per cent of exported Kiwi goods and services - will be essential to reaching that. China President Xi Jinping has acknowledged at-times strained ties with New Zealand during a bilateral meeting with Chris Luxon in Beijing. Mr Luxon secured the meeting with the long-serving leader as part of what he hoped would be a trade-focused trip to China this week. Instead, tensions between his country and the Cook Islands has cast a geopolitical cloud over his meeting with Mr Xi. New Zealand has cut aid to Cook Islands after accusing it of breaching trust for inking secretly negotiated agreements with China that run contrary to a treaty that it must consult with Wellington over defence and security pacts. It's not clear if that was what was Mr Xi was referring to in his welcoming remarks - the only part of their bilateral meeting which was open to media - to Mr Luxon at the Great Hall of the People on Friday. "(In the) 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs," Mr Xi said, according to reports. "But we have always respected each other." On Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun suggested displeasure at New Zealand's response to growing Cook Islands-China ties. "China's co-operation with the Cook Islands does not target any third party, and should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party," he said. New Zealand, which has a formal alliance with Australia and strong defence links with the west, prides itself on maintaining a strong ties with China. Chinese leaders, including Mr Xi, have referred to a "relationship of firsts" with New Zealand. New Zealand was the first western nation to support it joining the WTO in 1997, to designate it a market economy in 2004, to secure a free-trade deal in 2008, and signing on to its Belt and Road infrastructure network in 2017. The bilateral meeting comes amid a furious debate on the direction of foreign policy in New Zealand. Previous leaders, including Helen Clark, argue Mr Luxon's government risks New Zealand's prosperity by aligning too close to the west and over-militarising the Pacific. Mr Luxon leaves such debate for his foreign minister, Winston Peters, who says Ms Clark suffers from "relevance deprivation syndrome" and should stay quiet. Mr Xi met Mr Luxon for the first time last year on the sidelines of the APEC summit, and on Friday, he offered praise for the Kiwi leader. "I remember that you said that you wish to further advance bilateral relations on the basis of our past partnership and friendship," he said. "I appreciate your positive attitude and I'm ready to work together with you for new progress." Mr Luxon also personally praised Mr Xi, president since 2013, for strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. "The relationship has flourished under your leadership," Mr Luxon said, keeping his eyes on trade. "We have big ambitions to grow the New Zealand economy, and building trade between New Zealand and China is a really important contribution to that." Before his political engagements in Beijing, Mr Luxon spent three days in Shanghai hawking New Zealand's produce and services. His conservative government, which took office in late 2023, has a cornerstone ambition of doubling Kiwi exports within a decade, and China - as the destination for more than 20 per cent of exported Kiwi goods and services - will be essential to reaching that. China President Xi Jinping has acknowledged at-times strained ties with New Zealand during a bilateral meeting with Chris Luxon in Beijing. Mr Luxon secured the meeting with the long-serving leader as part of what he hoped would be a trade-focused trip to China this week. Instead, tensions between his country and the Cook Islands has cast a geopolitical cloud over his meeting with Mr Xi. New Zealand has cut aid to Cook Islands after accusing it of breaching trust for inking secretly negotiated agreements with China that run contrary to a treaty that it must consult with Wellington over defence and security pacts. It's not clear if that was what was Mr Xi was referring to in his welcoming remarks - the only part of their bilateral meeting which was open to media - to Mr Luxon at the Great Hall of the People on Friday. "(In the) 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the China-New Zealand relationship has experienced many ups and downs," Mr Xi said, according to reports. "But we have always respected each other." On Thursday, China Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun suggested displeasure at New Zealand's response to growing Cook Islands-China ties. "China's co-operation with the Cook Islands does not target any third party, and should not be disrupted or restrained by any third party," he said. New Zealand, which has a formal alliance with Australia and strong defence links with the west, prides itself on maintaining a strong ties with China. Chinese leaders, including Mr Xi, have referred to a "relationship of firsts" with New Zealand. New Zealand was the first western nation to support it joining the WTO in 1997, to designate it a market economy in 2004, to secure a free-trade deal in 2008, and signing on to its Belt and Road infrastructure network in 2017. The bilateral meeting comes amid a furious debate on the direction of foreign policy in New Zealand. Previous leaders, including Helen Clark, argue Mr Luxon's government risks New Zealand's prosperity by aligning too close to the west and over-militarising the Pacific. Mr Luxon leaves such debate for his foreign minister, Winston Peters, who says Ms Clark suffers from "relevance deprivation syndrome" and should stay quiet. Mr Xi met Mr Luxon for the first time last year on the sidelines of the APEC summit, and on Friday, he offered praise for the Kiwi leader. "I remember that you said that you wish to further advance bilateral relations on the basis of our past partnership and friendship," he said. "I appreciate your positive attitude and I'm ready to work together with you for new progress." Mr Luxon also personally praised Mr Xi, president since 2013, for strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries. "The relationship has flourished under your leadership," Mr Luxon said, keeping his eyes on trade. "We have big ambitions to grow the New Zealand economy, and building trade between New Zealand and China is a really important contribution to that." Before his political engagements in Beijing, Mr Luxon spent three days in Shanghai hawking New Zealand's produce and services. His conservative government, which took office in late 2023, has a cornerstone ambition of doubling Kiwi exports within a decade, and China - as the destination for more than 20 per cent of exported Kiwi goods and services - will be essential to reaching that.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
Leaders of China, New Zealand discuss trade, Pacific security
BEIJING: The leaders of China and New Zealand discussed on Friday the role of trade in boosting ties, while New Zealand also pressed its interests for peace and security in the Pacific, government statements showed. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon met in the capital's Great Hall of the People as China's influence grows in the Pacific, challenging the traditionally stronger security foothold many Western nations have had there. On his first visit to China since taking office in November 2023, Luxon discussed the need for stability, less tension in the Indo-Pacific and New Zealand's 'enduring support for Pacific-led priorities', his government said in a statement. Luxon's meeting with the leader of New Zealand's biggest trade partner was 'constructive', he said in a post on X. 'We discussed the depth of the New Zealand-China relationship - from trade and people-to-people ties to our shared global responsibilities,' he said. 'In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever.' The remarks came after New Zealand aired concerns this year when Cook Islands, with which it has constitutional ties, signed pacts with China without first consulting it, including one for cooperation on the economy, infrastructure and seabed mining. Luxon also backed up the role of the Pacific Islands Forum, an inter-government body seeking to foster cooperation among Oceanic countries and territories. Without making specific reference to any issue, Xi called for both countries to seek common ground and view differences 'accurately', state news agency Xinhua said. 'There are no historical grudges or conflicts of interest between China and New Zealand, so we should respect each other, seek common ground,' Xi told Luxon, it said, adding that both must accurately look at and tackle disagreements. During his four-day visit to the commercial hub of Shanghai and the capital, Beijing, Luxon has championed an agenda of boosting business, travel and education for New Zealand. MORE BUSINESS Xi also talked about deepening trade and investment ties, as well as scope to work on science and technology, climate change response and infrastructure along with education exchanges - echoing most of Luxon's goals. Luxon documented his meetings on Instagram, posting video messages to fellow citizens reinforcing his mission of getting 'money into your back pocket'. He clinched travel-related pacts and pushed New Zealand's tertiary education as well as its exports of meat, a key item of trade with China after dairy. Its exports to China were NZ$20.85 billion ($12.51 billion) in 2024, comprising goods worth NZ$17.75 billion and services of NZ$3.1 billion, the foreign ministry said on its website. Chinese tourists are New Zealand's third-largest group of international visitors, though official data show their numbers are still nearly a fifth lower than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. China Eastern Airlines will launch more flights with New Zealand from December, the New Zealand government said on Wednesday. Days before the visit, New Zealand unveiled a 12-month trial of visa waivers from November for Chinese passport holders arriving from Australia with valid visas from its neighbour. ($1=1.6661 New Zealand dollars)
