New Zealand envoy has positive vision of China

Clare Fearnley, New Zealand's ambassador to China, said New Zealand is focusing on "people, planet and prosperity" as themes for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.

Alongside high-level bilateral official meetings, remembrances of Rewi Alley and celebrations of sister city relationships are also part of the program, Ambassador Clare Fearnley said in Guangdong province, which she visited on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

New Zealander Alley was an old friend of the Chinese people. He first came to China in 1927 and spent six decades in the country.

After visiting Alley's former home in Shanghai, where he lived between 1927 and 1938, Fearnley travels to Hubei province, where Alley helped with flood relief work in 1932, and then to Gansu province, home of the Bailie Polytechnic School that Alley moved to in 1944.

As New Zealand opened its border at the beginning of this month — after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international travel, its tourism and education sectors are preparing for the return of Chinese visitors and students.

Fearnley is especially keen on ongoing bilateral cooperation on environmental matters — for example, on climate change issues. Last month, an inaugural vice ministerial meeting on migratory birds took place virtually. New research into protection of the migratory birds which fly between the two countries has been launched, including the monitoring of the health of the species and their environments.

The New Zealand embassy in China is presenting a historical photo exhibition to mark the 50th anniversary, both in person and online. After the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972, the first ministerial delegation from New Zealand visited China in 1973.

"I look back at some of the history of that visit, and what they identified as objectives in 1973 are very much still relevant today. Trade was important, but they had a strong focus on people-to-people connections, and also on research, science and cultural connections," Fearnley said.

"We've had some challenges in more recent times because of disruption from COVID, but we've managed to keep the people-to-people contact through virtual means."

As one of the new areas the two sides have worked on, cooperation on climate change has been growing, she noted.

The upgraded bilateral free trade agreement which went into effect in April, will benefit both business and consumers in the two countries, she said. China currently is New Zealand's largest trading partner. Guangdong province takes up a significant proportion of trade between the two countries.

Fearnley came to China in 1985 to teach in Shaanxi province and has since visited the country as a student, tourist, official and diplomat.

She has been impressed by the much broader economic choices that Chinese people have today, the growth of the middle class, the infrastructure of the cities and the commitment to greening the environment.

"The world will benefit from 1.4 billion people balancing economic growth and environmental sustainability," she said. "That's got a global significance."

Responding to a question about the future of the relationship, Fearnley said: "I see the two countries being an ongoing part of each other's future. New Zealand continues to put a lot of energy into its engagement with China. I look forward in the future to our two countries continuing to have a robust, mature relationship in which we have multiple strands of connections that help us understand each other, help us work together constructively and help us find areas of mutual benefit in which we can agree to work together."