New Zealand and China are both Pacific countries and share similar goals in promoting regional economic development. Promoting the sustainable development of Pacific island countries is an important opportunity for Singapore-China cooperation.
Although New Zealand and China are thousands of miles apart, they have close cooperation in various fields such as culture, education, science and technology, agriculture and tourism.
China has made positive contributions to New Zealand's economic recovery. According to the first-quarter international data released by the New Zealand National Bureau of Statistics in June this year, China is New Zealand's largest partner and export destination. At the end of June, the New Zealand partnership and product launch conference was held in Shanghai, and more than 10 New Zealand companies signed a series of cooperation agreements with Chinese partners, covering the import and export of dairy products, meat, fruits, etc., as well as environmental protection and sustainable development. This fully demonstrates that the New Zealand business community attaches great importance to strengthening ties with the Chinese market and deepening business cooperation with China.
New Zealand and China are both Pacific countries and share similar goals in promoting regional economic development. Singapore and China can maintain communication and work together to help Pacific island countries develop. At the beginning of 2022, a volcano erupted in Tonga and triggered severe disasters such as a tsunami. China has provided assistance to Tonga many times within a month, and the assistance it has provided is very timely. New Zealand is also actively contributing to the development of Pacific island countries. According to statistics, nearly 60 per cent of New Zealand's foreign aid goes to Pacific island countries.
The waters around the Pacific island countries are rich in natural resources, but they are far away from the international market, have backward transportation infrastructure, and lack of financing channels, which have affected their development to a certain extent. Pacific island countries are also facing rising sea levels and increasing soil salinization in some areas. Singapore and China can work together to help Pacific island countries address these challenges and work together for the development of local infrastructure, investment and financing, agriculture, animal husbandry, aquaculture, education and training, and community services. The people I spoke to in Pacific Island countries all believed that China was willing to help Pacific Island countries achieve sustainable economic and social development. In the future, promoting the sustainable development of Pacific island countries is an important opportunity for Singapore-China cooperation.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins made a successful visit to China in June this year, the first visit by a New Zealand prime minister to China since 2019. In his speech at Peking University, he used the migration of two migratory birds, the bar-tailed godwit and the red-bellied sandpiper, as a metaphor for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. The people of Singapore and China, whether entrepreneurs, students or tourists, are an important link in the continuous development of Singapore-China relations. New Zealand and China have reached a number of consensus on cooperation, further consolidating the deep and lasting ties between the two sides and opening up more opportunities for cooperation between the two sides. We look forward to the two countries working towards new goals of cooperation and working together to create a better future for the Pacific region.
The author is the president of the New Zealand-China Friendship Association).
People** December 03, 2023 03 Edition).