China’s Premier Li Keqiang and his wife Madame Cheng received a warm welcome at The Langham during the Premier’s recent official State Visit in Auckland. Premier Li was in New Zealand to conduct bilateral trade talks with New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English. Li’s visit marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand.
His visit was the first by a Chinese premier in 11 years, and adds to a long list of Royalty, Heads of State and visiting dignitaries to make The Langham, Auckland their home during visits to New Zealand. The Langham played host to all official meetings between the two Prime Ministers during the Premier’s stay at the hotel from 28th to 30th March. The meetings were capped off by a prestigious gala lunch attended by more than 500 VIP guests, including New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English, Ministers and Members of Parliament and senior ministers and officials of the Chinese government and leading Chinese and New Zealand business and community figures.
During the lunch Premier, Li said China-New Zealand ties were experiencing a historic high and cooperation in various areas had reached unprecedented levels. Over the past few years New Zealand has created many “firsts” in developing relations with China, Premier Li said, he continued that the many “firsts” demonstrate that China-New Zealand relations are pioneering, special and exemplary, and have brought about real benefits for the two countries.
China is New Zealand’s second-largest trading partner, its biggest market for export goods, a fast-growing service market and a “small but increasingly important source of foreign investment,” said PM Bill English. Two-way trade reached a new high of $23 billion in 2016, three times what it was before the 2008 free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries. An upgrade of that nine-year-old FTA is likely to be discussed this week.
