Senior Chinese diplomat meets with New Zealand FM

Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, meets with visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Beijing, capital of China, March 24, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

BEIJING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta in Beijing on Friday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said that despite differences in history, culture and social systems, China and New Zealand have always respected, appreciated and trusted each other, and their bilateral relations have long been at the forefront of China's relations with developed Western countries.

"We regard New Zealand as an important cooperation partner and have full confidence in the certainty and stability of China-New Zealand relations," Wang said, calling on the two countries to enhance mutual trust and push practical cooperation to a new level.

The modernization of China will bring new opportunities to New Zealand and other countries in the world, Wang said, calling on the two sides to make good use of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Upgrade Protocol and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to upgrade bilateral economic and trade cooperation, and jointly foster new growth drivers.

For his part, Mahuta said New Zealand looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges with China, deepening cooperation in various fields, and forging a more mature bilateral relationship in the next 50 years.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis.

Wang stressed that the pressing task is to cease fire and resume peace talks, which is also the common aspiration of most countries and serves the common interests of the international community. He said China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement.

Mahuta said that peace and prosperity are the expectations of all parties, and New Zealand stands for following the spirit of international law and supports political settlement of disputes through dialogue.