Rt Hon Gerry Brownlee, Speaker of Parliament,
Rt Hon Minister Winston Peters,
Hon Minister Shane Jones, Hon Minister Matt Doocey, Hon Minister Penny Simmonds,
Sir David Carter, Patron of NZCFS and former Speaker,
Members of Parliament,
Secretary Bede Corry,
Deputy Secretary Grahame Morton,
Ambassador HE Ms Maria Belen Bogado, Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ambassadors and High Commissioners,
Leaders and Members of the Chinese community in New Zealand,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to be here with so many old and new friends as we celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. A very warm welcome to all our distinguished guests. I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to friends from all sectors who have consistently supported China’s development and contributed to the friendship between China and New Zealand.
The remarkable achievements of the People’s Republic of China over the past 77 years are the fruits of sustained efforts of the Chinese people, generation after generation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Over the 105 years since its founding, the CPC has remained true to its mission of pursuing happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. From the devastation and destitution of the old China to the prosperous and dynamic China we see today, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in relying on our own efforts and hard work, to bring about the remarkable duo miracles of sustained rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. China has made the historic leap from a country that was impoverished and underdeveloped to the world’s second-largest economy. Standing at a new historical starting point, China is advancing along its path to modernization, profoundly transforming the country while having a far-reaching impact on the world.
Over the past five years, China’s economy has grown at an average annual rate of 5.4%, contributing around 30% to global economic growth. Amid a challenging and volatile global environment, the Chinese economy has continued to move forward steadily, demonstrating strong resilience and enormous potential. In the first half of 2026, China’s GDP grew by RMB 3.6 trillion, the largest increase for the same period in the past five years. Total imports and exports surpassed RMB 25 trillion, a record high for the first half of a year, further consolidating China’s position as the world’s largest trader in goods.
China has ranked first in the world for many consecutive years in the number of R&D personnel and patent applications. Annual production and sales of new energy vehicles have exceeded 16 million, accounting for more than 60 percent of the global total. High-speed rail has brought distant destinations within easy and predictable reach. Artificial intelligence is transforming industries across the board, while robots are gradually making their way from factory floors into people’s everyday lives. Advances in science and technology are increasingly delivering tangible benefits that people can genuinely feel and see.
At the same time, China is firmly advancing high-standard opening up, seeking to meet both its own needs and the expectations of the wider world. This not only benefits the Chinese people but also provides vast opportunities for countries around the world, particularly countries in the global south. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan is both a blueprint for China’s own development and a cooperation list open to the world. China has become a major trading partner of more than 160 countries and regions. Major expos such as the China International Import Expo, the Canton Fair, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, and the China International Supply Chain Expo continue to build platforms for economic and trade cooperation among countries worldwide.
On top of those, China is contributing to broader world peace and prosperity by advancing the four Global Initiatives on Development, Security, Civilizations and Governance, towards building a global community of shared future for humanity.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
Over the past nearly five years, as Ambassador to New Zealand, I have had the privilege of witnessing first-hand the extraordinary journey of China-New Zealand relations. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a complex international environment, China-New Zealand relations have maintained a healthy and steady momentum of development under the strategic guidance of our leaders and through the joint efforts of people from all walks of life in both countries. Our bilateral relations have long been at the forefront of China’s relations with developed countries. They have brought tangible benefits to our two countries and peoples, while contributing to peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and beyond. Looking back, these hard won achievements have been made possible by four key drivers.
The first driver is the strategic guidance of high-level engagement. Exchanges between the leaders of China and New Zealand and across a wide range of fields have continued at pace, with political mutual trust steadily deepening. Since my arrival as Ambassador, we have had at least one top-level visit either way in each year except for 2022, when we were still coming out of Covid. In 2023, then PM Hipkins visited China. In 2024, Premier Li Qiang visited New Zealand. In 2025, PM Luxon visited China. And between December 2025 and April 2026, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Zhao Leji and Speaker Gerry Brownlee exchanged visits in the short space of five months. Our Foreign Affairs and other Ministers have either exchanged visits or met on the sidelines of global or regional meetings multiple times. In addition, dialogue and cooperation mechanisms covering foreign affairs, trade and economic cooperation, climate change, and other areas have become increasingly institutionalized and effective. Throughout our relationship, China and New Zealand have worked together to move forward on the basis of mutual respect. We have achieved a number of “firsts” in China’s relations with Western developed countries, making our partnership a fine example of cooperation between countries with different political and social systems, histories and cultures, and levels of development.
The second driver is economic and trade cooperation to mutual benefit. This has been powered, at a fundamental level, by the complementary nature of our economies. But no less important is the commitment on both sides to maximize the opportunities and benefits accordingly for our peoples. As a result, the pie of shared interests between the two countries has kept growing. China has been proudly New Zealand’s largest trading partner and largest export market for 14 consecutive years. In 2025, bilateral trade exceeded NZ$42 billion, with trade in goods alone surpassing the combined value of New Zealand’s next two biggest trading partners. New Zealand’s high-quality dairy, meat, fruit products are appreciated by Chinese consumers. Meanwhile, China’s electric vehicles, lithium batteries, photovoltaic products and increasingly AI and robotics are helping provide high-quality, cost-effecive solutions for New Zealand’s green and smart transitions. The two diesel-electric hybrid ferries being built for New Zealand in China integrate economic efficiency with environmental benefits, further showcasing the benefits of practical cooperation between our two countries.
The third driver is the broad-based support for the relationship across all sectors of society, and across political parties. Nurtured by the enduring legacy of Rewi Alley, the friendship between our two peoples has flourished with the increase in people-to-people exchanges facilitated by easier visa arrangements, fostered through the bonds between our 43 pairs of sister cities, and deepened through cooperation in education, tourism and exchanges among young people. The Chinese people hold immense good will towards New Zealand and its people. Likewise, a survey by the Asia New Zealand Foundation also shows that sentiments toward China among New Zealanders have increasingly warmed. We are heartened to see that amidst and sometimes despite occasional dissonance in the relationship, people here in this country have voiced their overwhelming support for reason, friendship and cooperation. The foundation for friendship between our two countries is becoming ever stronger and more solid.
The fourth driver is the proper management of differences. There are no historical grievances nor fundamental conflicts of interest between China and New Zealand. We have every reason to view each other as opportunities and partners, rather than challenges or threats. The two sides should continue to build mutual trust through dialogue, resolve differences through consultation, respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and jointly advance the China-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on a steady and sustained path forward.
Looking ahead, I firmly believe that China-New Zealand relations have a bright future. Notwithstanding the profound changes in the international landscape and in our two respective countries, and also because of these changes, our common interests will only continue to grow. China’s commitment to the bilateral relationship has not changed. China would wish to continue to regard New Zealand as a good friend and an important partner for cooperation. Guided by the principles of mutual respect, inclusiveness, cooperation, and benefits to the peoples, we stand ready to work with New Zealand to implement the important common understandings reached by our leaders, strengthen political mutual trust, facilitate people-to-people exchanges, deepen practical cooperation across all fields, and take our bilateral relationship to new heights, bringing greater benefits to both countries and particularly our peoples.
From high-level exchanges to people-to-people engagement, and from economic and trade cooperation to cultural exchanges, we have shared many unforgettable moments over the past five years. The warmth and sincerity that accompanied these moments have become some of my most cherished memories, and have also helped to forge the enduring foundation of the China-New Zealand relationship.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Government and people of New Zealand for the support and assistance they have extended to me and to the Embassy during my years of service in New Zealand. I also wish to pay tribute to all those who, in their own ways and often quietly, have devoted themselves to advancing friendship between China and New Zealand. Wherever I may be, I will always cherish this friendship. I will always remain a steadfast supporter of the friendship between China and New Zealand.
I hope and trust that the friendship and goodwill you have shown me will continue to be extended to my successor, and that together the two sides can write many new chapters in our relations in the years and decades ahead.
As I also double as Ambassador to the Cook Islands and Niue, may I also take the opportunity to express my deep appreciation to the governments and people of these two beautiful Pacific Island countries for the support they have extended to me. It gives me no less consolation to see the progress with concrete results in the partnership of mutual respect and common development between China and the Cook Islands and between China and Niue.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Over the nearly five years I have spent in Wellington, I have heard many people say, “You can’t beat Wellington on a good day.” Indeed, Wellington is world-renowned for its wind and rain. Yet it is perhaps because of those winds and rains that I have also witnessed here some of the most brilliant sunshine and rainbows. We cherish the sunshine when the skies are clear, but when the winds and rains come, it is all the more important that we watch for and support each other and weather the storm together. In the face of rising global challenges, our destiny has become more, rather than less interconnected. May mountains and seas never keep us apart, and may winds and waves never hold us back. Let us join hands, brave the journey together, and sail toward a brighter shared future.
再过几天，就是中华民族传统节日中秋节了。我也借此机会向今天出席的侨界朋友们，并通过你们向所有在新西兰的华侨华人致以节日的问候和祝福。祝大家中秋快乐，阖家团圆、幸福！
Finally, may I propose a toast:
To the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China,
To His Majesty King Charles III, King of New Zealand, and the Government and people of New Zealand,
To our shared prosperity,
And to the enduring friendship between our countries and peoples,
Cheers!