WELLINGTON, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin met with New Zealand Governor-General Jerry Mateparae in Wellington on Tuesday afternoon.
Conveying greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao, Jia said a major aim of his New Zealand visit is to jointly commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral ties for further development.
He reviewed his meetings with New Zealand leaders including acting Prime Minister Bill English and Speaker of the House of Representatives Lockwood Smith, saying the two sides hailed the progress the China-New Zealand ties over the past 40 years and agreed that they should grasp the opportunity to further push forward bilateral relations.
Jia said the two countries should be proud that New Zealand is the first developed country to finish bilateral negotiation with China on China's accession to the World Trade Organization, to recognize China's full market economy status and to sign free trade agreement with China.
The ever growing economic cooperation and active cultural and people-to-people exchanges have formed a solid foundation for the development of China-New Zealand ties, Jia said.
The two sides should join hands to deepen practical cooperation and promote people-to-people exchanges to benefit the two peoples, he added.
Mateparae said the frequent exchanges of visits between leaders of the two countries played an important role for the bilateral relationship.
He attributed the smooth development of bilateral ties to the common friend of the people of New Zealand and China, Rewi Alley, their close economic, trade and cultural ties, and their persistence that common goals could be achieved through different ways.
The government and people of New Zealand support and welcome the development of ties with China, said Mateparae. He also reiterated New Zealand's adherence to the one-China policy.
After the meeting, Jia delivered a speech at the Victoria University of Wellington on the 40th anniversary of relations between China and New Zealand.