Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Friday that China is willing to work with New Zealand to uphold common values, further carry forward traditional friendship and make efforts to upgrade the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang addresses a welcome banquet held by various social communities of New Zealand at Auckland Museum in Auckland, New Zealand, June 14, 2024. Li attended the welcome banquet together with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Friday. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

Li made the remarks when addressing a welcome banquet held by various social communities in Auckland. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also attended the welcome banquet.

He said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations 52 years ago, China-New Zealand ties have long been leading China's relations with other developed countries.

Especially in the past 10 years since President Xi Jinping's visit to New Zealand and the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, Li said, bilateral relations have made historic progress and cooperation in various fields has reached unprecedented breadth and depth, which has not only brought tangible benefits to the two peoples, but also vigorously promoted the prosperity and stability of the region and the world.

The fruitful results are largely attributed to the similarities between China and New Zealand, Li said, adding that both countries have respect for the natural ecology, inclusiveness for multiculturalism, pursuit of innovation and creativity, and aspiration for world peace.

Noting that these similarities are the common treasures of China and New Zealand, Li said that both sides should cherish and protect them and make efforts to enable them to play a greater role in the future development of China-New Zealand relations.

Li said the world today is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century and global peace and development are faced with grave challenges, adding that China is ready to work with New Zealand to uphold the shared values, carry forward traditional friendship, upgrade bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, deepen and expand practical cooperation on biomedicine, agriculture, food, new energy and digital economy.

He said China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with New Zealand in multilateral fields to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and contribute to peace and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world.

Li said since the beginning of this year, the momentum of China's economic recovery has continued to consolidate and strengthen. In the long run, the long-term positive trend of the Chinese economy will not change.

China's new development is a big opportunity for the world, he noted, adding that China stands ready to continue to share the opportunity with other countries so as to achieve common development.

Noting that the relationship with China is one of New Zealand's most important foreign relations, Luxon said over the past half century and more, New Zealand and China have leveraged their economic complementarity to expand the breadth and depth of exchanges and cooperation in various fields, injecting strong impetus into the development of the two countries and injecting vitality into bilateral relations.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between New Zealand and China, which is an important milestone in the development of bilateral relations, Luxon said.

New Zealand will continue to give priority to its relations with China in its foreign relations, Luxon said, adding that New Zealand is willing to work with China to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen exchanges and cooperation in such fields as economy, trade, agriculture, intellectual property rights, education and tourism, strengthen communication and dialogue, and jointly cope with global challenges such as climate change and environmental protection.

Before the welcome banquet, the two leaders also met with friendly people from all walks of life in New Zealand.

Li thanked all for their long-term contributions to the development of China-New Zealand relations and encouraged them to continue to play a more positive and constructive role in promoting the bilateral relations and the friendship between the two peoples, so as to push the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic partnership to a new high.