Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that the upgrading of China's economic structure will bring new opportunities for global development.

Li, who is on an official visit to New Zealand, made the remarks when meeting with representatives from industrial and commercial circles of the country.

Representatives of nearly 20 New Zealand's chambers of commerce and enterprises, including the Auckland Business Chamber, New Zealand China Trade Association, and Air New Zealand, attended the meeting.

After listening to the speeches of the representatives, Li said that the world today is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, global economic recovery lacks momentum, and international economic and trade cooperation faces increasing instability and uncertainty.

For enterprises, those who can swiftly gain the upper hand amid changing circumstances and capitalize on unexpected opportunities will excel in the fierce market competition, he noted.

Noting that the economic and trade cooperation between China and New Zealand should continue to lead the way, Li said entrepreneurs of the two countries should continue to carry forward the spirit of "striving to be first," strive for success by leveraging favorable conditions, seize opportunities through openness, drive innovation to stay ahead and strive to make a bigger pie and achieve win-win results.

China is pursuing modernization through high-quality development and various upgrades will bring new opportunities for global development, he noted.

Firstly, he said, consumption upgrading will unleash new market demands, and there will be an increasing need for high-quality goods such as dairy and health products as well as beef and lamb from New Zealand.

Secondly, he noted, industrial upgrading will open up new areas of cooperation, and more business opportunities will emerge in new energy, information technology, biomedicine and other emerging industries.

Thirdly, he added, trade upgrading will create new space for growth, and the potential of cooperation in service trade and cross-border e-commerce will be released at a faster pace.

The Chinese premier hopes New Zealand entrepreneurs will make the most of the momentum, seize the opportunities and make greater results.

China will always be open to enterprises from New Zealand and other countries, Li said.

He promised that Beijing would further expand market access, create a market-oriented and internationalized business environment that is first-class and based on the rule of law, and provide more support and facilitation for foreign-funded enterprises to invest and operate in China.

Li also expressed his hope that more New Zealand entrepreneurs will become "Rewi Alley" in economic and trade exchanges between China and New Zealand in the new era, and play a greater role in enhancing mutual understanding between the two sides, so as to better contribute to the sound development of bilateral ties and bring more benefits for the people of the two countries.

Rewi Alley was a dedicated New Zealander who spent six decades living and working in China until his passing in Beijing in 1987.

Representatives of the New Zealand industrial and business community attending the meeting said that New Zealand and China enjoy close economic and trade exchanges and fruitful cooperation and that China's development provided a vast market and huge opportunities for New Zealand companies.

They added that the industrial and business community supports the development of New Zealand-China relations and is ready to deepen cooperation with China to deliver high-quality goods and services to the Chinese people to achieve mutual benefits.