On September 4, Ambassador Wang Xiaolong attended the Global Cities New Zealand Conference 2026. Consul General He Ying, Mayor of Christchurch Phil Mauger, Mayor of Palmerston North Grant Smith, Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown, and Deputy Secretary of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Grahame Morton also attended the Conference.

During a panel discussion themed “From Legacy to Leverage”, Ambassador Wang reviewed the historical ties and fruitful outcomes of sister-city exchanges between China and New Zealand. He noted that since Guilin and Hastings established the first sister-city relationship in 1981, and with Shenzhen and Christchurch formally becoming sister cities in 2026, the number of China-New Zealand sister-city pairs has grown to 43, achieving a dual leap in both quantity and quality. Cooperation between Chinese and New Zealand sister cities has always begun with cultural exchanges and mutual visits, and has gradually expanded to multiple areas including economic and trade linkages, industrial collaboration, and educational and technological cooperation, enriching the connotation of sister-city partnerships. Looking ahead, Ambassador Wang expressed the hope that both sides will continue to strengthen people-to-people bonds, keep a long-term perspective, fully leverage their respective strengths, and jointly advance sister-city cooperation in greater depth and substance, contributing greater local vitality to China-New Zealand friendly relations.