NEW ZEALAND became the first developed Western country to sign a cooperation agreement with China on the Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative yesterday.

    Visiting Premier Li Keqiang and his New Zealand counterpart, Bill English, witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding, which adds to the long list of ground-breaking achievements the two countries have scored in bilateral cooperation.

    China and New Zealand will explore the possibilities of bilateral cooperation in various fields to promote interconnectivity between the two countries, Li told a joint press conference with English.

    New Zealand was the first developed Western country to conclude bilateral negotiations on China’s accession to the World Trade Organization, to recognize China’s full market-economy status, to sign and implement a bilateral free trade agreement with China, and to join the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as a founding member.

    The B&R Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and was proposed by China in 2013, aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient land and maritime Silk Road trade routes.

    Also at the conference, Li said official talks to upgrade the existing free trade agreement (FTA) between the nations will start April 25 with a goal of building on the deal that’s seen two-way trade triple to US$23 billion since it came into force in 2008.

    Negotiations will touch on investment, service trade, quarantine of animals and plants, the Principle of Original Production Place, economy and technology, e-commerce, and competition policies, according to Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Wang Lutong.

    As one-third of New Zealand’s dairy products are exported to China, English said the dairy products and any other products going to China will be of the quality Chinese consumers would expect.

    Under the FTA, a wide range of products, typically health-related products are much sought after by Chinese consumers, English said, adding that New Zealand will work with the Chinese authorities in food safety to ensure all the New Zealand products exported to China meet the standards required.

    Leading a delegation of senior ministers, government officials and businesspeople, Li arrived in Wellington on Sunday for a four-day visit to the Oceanian country, the first by a Chinese premier in 11 years.

    Ahead of the press conference, Li met English at Premier House in Wellington yesterday.

    The meeting also saw 21 other agreements signed, including a six-month trial for 10 local meat processors to sell chilled meat to China for the first time.

    For four years in a row, China has been New Zealand’s largest trading partner, the largest source of foreign students and second-largest source of tourists. Each week, about 50 direct flights travel across the Pacific between both countries.(Xinhua)