New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is set to visit China for a trade-focused meeting with Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, emphasizing the importance of engagement with China in a challenging global landscape. This visit, sparked by concerns from former New Zealand leaders about New Zealand's positioning as an adversary of China, underscores a desire to maintain a strong bilateral relationship. Despite the pressures of new defense arrangements with the US, the visit aims to reaffirm New Zealand's historical ties of cooperation and mutual benefit since the establishment of their free trade agreement in 2008.
The recent invitation for a formal meeting with Xi Jinping aims to reaffirm New Zealand's commitment to strategic trade relations amid global geopolitical challenges.
Luxon emphasized that promoting engagement with China is crucial for addressing regional and global issues that are significant to New Zealand's interests.
Contrasting opinions emerged as former leaders urged retaining strong ties with China, fearing the implications of aligning too closely with a military stance against it.
Minister Peters rejected prior criticisms from former leaders, indicating that New Zealand’s dealings with China should adapt to current geopolitical realities.
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