Hipkins’ visit to China is expected to highlight bilateral economic and trade cooperation and expand areas of cooperation. Given the current election situation in New Zealand, Hipkins is expected to present New Zealand’s views to China on sensitive issues such as human rights, Taiwan and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Hipkins first objective will be to highlight bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

The NZ PM will aim to deepen bilateral economic and trade cooperation, expand bilateral cooperation areas, and promote the upgrading of the new economy. In the first quarter of 2023, New Zealand exported 25.5 billion yuan of products to China, down 12.2% year-on-year, which is more worrying for New Zealand, because the continued increase in economic exports to China in 2021 is one of the important factors for New Zealand to come out of the economic malaise after the new coronavirus epidemic. 

Dairy products now account for more than a third of New Zealand’s exports to China. Large companies such as Fonterra are hoping Mr Hipkins will persuade China to continue to increase its total imports of New Zealand dairy products. 

The New Zealand government believes that although China has fully opened its door to the world, it has not completely lifted the comprehensive economic sanctions against Australia, and the current window period for New Zealand’s tourism and education industry, Hipkins should express his appeal to the Chinese side in this regard, hoping that the Chinese government can increase support for Chinese citizens to travel and study in New Zealand. 

In order to promote economic and trade exchanges between the two countries, the New Zealand government has begun to actively prepare for the participation of domestic enterprises in the sixth Shanghai CIIE. At the end of May, the 6th CIIE promotion meeting was held in Auckland, New Zealand, and more than 150 representatives of more than 70 enterprises and people from all walks of life attended the event. At present, more than 20 well-known New Zealand enterprises have registered to participate in the sixth CIIE.

Next Hipkins will work to promote Chinese enterprises to participate in the infrastructure construction of the flood area in the North Island.

In order to enhance domestic public opinion, Hipkins is likely to raise the hope that Chinese infrastructure companies can join the post-disaster infrastructure in the North Island. In February this year, the North Island of New Zealand was hit by a major natural disaster, which severely damaged the local infrastructure such as roads, airports and subways. In May, New Zealand’s North Island was again hit by extreme weather, forcing some residents to evacuate, and there was widespread public discontent. 

Taking into account the goodwill previously released by the Chinese government, the obvious advantages of Chinese enterprises in infrastructure construction, China’s more experience in coping with natural disasters and the pressure of new domestic elections, Hipkins may use the opportunity of this visit to express gratitude to the Chinese side for its goodwill before, and at the same time issue a request for Chinese enterprises to participate in the post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction project of New Zealand’s North Island. 

Hipkins will also be working to resume exchanges in culture, environmental protection and climate change.

Previously, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, exchanges and cooperation between China and New Zealand in cultural exchanges, environmental protection and climate change have almost stalled. Through this visit, Hipkins is likely to promote the early resumption of exchanges and cooperation between China and New Zealand in the above areas. At the same time, we will strengthen cooperation with China in such areas as carbon market construction, new energy vehicles, green finance, agricultural methane emission reduction, forestry carbon sequestration and climate change adaptation to help New Zealand successfully transition to a global low-carbon development model.