The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Christopher Luckson, has revealed that Li Qiang, the Chinese Minister- chairman, is due to visit New Zealand this week. This will be the first visit of a Chinese prime minister to the country in seven years, reports Reuters and BTA.
Luckson emphasized the importance of this visit, saying: “The challenging global outlook makes it vital to share perspectives and engage China on key issues of importance to New Zealand.“
This is not the first visit by Chinese officials this year. At the end of March, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited New Zealand.
New Zealand has long been seen as a moderate or absent voice on China within the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, of which the US is a member, but in recent years the country has said China's actions are troubling, quoted by BTA.
While the specific dates of Li Qiang's visit have not been announced, Luxon announced his upcoming trip to Japan with a business delegation, which will last from Sunday to Thursday.