Alistair Crozier: New Zealand China Council Executive Director on Chinese Premier Li Qiang's visit to New Zealand

The New Zealand China Council says the trade relationship between the two countries still has huge potential. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will arrive to meet the Prime Minister in Wellington this week. 

Two-way trade between the countries was worth nearly $38 billion last year. 

Executive Director Alistair Crozier told Mike Hosking that trading opportunities will continue to grow. 

He says despite some Covid related speed wobbles, it's predicted China's middle class will double from 400 million to 800 million in 15 years. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The New Zealand China relationship front and center this week
as the Premier Lee Chang hits the country and has
sweepted through the region. New Zealand China Council head Alista
Crazy is with us on all of this. Alista morning,
Good morning mate, so very much. He's going through Australia
as well, so very much. They're re engaged in this
particular part of the world.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Yeah. I think it's a really positive sign that Premier
has been in office for just over a year now,
hasn't been down here before as Premier, but our Prime
Minister obviously formed Prime Minister Hipkins went to China last year,
so yeah, as part of that regular tempo of high
level exchanges.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
I read out of Australia that he's taking a big
business delegation there. I'm assuming he's bringing one here. Is
there much business still to do and continue to grow
or is it so big we're kind of reached peak China?

Speaker 2 (00:46):
Well, there's absolutely room for growth. China still predicting that
its middle class is going to double in the next
fifteen years from four hundred million to eight hundred million,
So I think we need to look a little bit
beyond the speed wobbles coming out out of COVID and
focus on the absolute size of the market. Even if
annual GDP growth slows, the absolute increase to Chinese economy

(01:10):
is going to be huge.

Speaker 1 (01:11):
I'm also reading about the CPTPP and they want it
and the Chinese want in and we can probably help
them do that. Is any of that realistic or not?
Do you think?

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Oh? Look, I mean New Zealand's approach is that we
welcome any country that can meet the very high standards
of the CPTPP. I think we'd be naive to think
it was not also about regional politics, and so the
other members of the agreement have to want China as well.
But you know that it's going to be an extended discussion,

(01:41):
but I think it's one worth having because we need
China in these key, key economic blocks.

Speaker 1 (01:46):
And how long is the meeting going between him and
luxel and before the word orcust comes up? Do you reckon?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
It may not come up at all. It may be
a little bit more diplomatic than that, but certainly, you
know it's clear from the visits we've already had this
year by the Foreign Minister and the head of the
Communist Party International Department that there's going to be in
exchange and both sides have read through their talking points

(02:12):
twice this year to each other and so there'll be
another open, honest exchange of views.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Good on, yeahs Alista Krazier, who's the executive director of
the New Zealand China Council. Imagine making a living talking
through talking points for more from the Mic Asking Breakfast.
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