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Todd McClay: Trade Minister on Chinese Premier Li Qiang visiting New Zealand this week · Best of Business

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks'd be follow
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  Speaker 2: Just an hour ago, it was announced the Chinese premiere
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  Speaker 2: Lee Chiang, will visit New Zealand this Thursday. It is
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  Speaker 2: the first visit by the Chinese premiere since twenty seventeen
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  Speaker 2: and marks a significant shift from our relationship with China
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  Speaker 2: under the last government. Todd McLay is the Trade Minister.
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  Speaker 3: Hey Todd, Hey Heather, how are you?
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  Speaker 2: I'm very well, thank you. What Chinese business is going
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  Speaker 2: to read this visit as a signal that they can
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  Speaker 2: have confidence in the relationship between China and New Zealand, Well.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, I think they will, as New Zealand Business is sure.
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  Speaker 3: It's a very long standing relationship. In fact, it was
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  Speaker 3: sort of ten years ago this year we signed a
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  Speaker 3: comprehensive strategic partnership around trade with China and we've seen
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  Speaker 3: our trade grow from strength to strength, almost forty billion
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  Speaker 3: dollars in two in both ways now and so it's
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  Speaker 3: a very important economic relationship and I think the Chinese
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  Speaker 3: premier coming here underpins the importance of that to the
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  Speaker 3: two economies.
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  Speaker 2: What have you guys, got planned from well.
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  Speaker 3: He will be in Wonnington and then other parts of
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  Speaker 3: the country as well. There will be formal meetings with
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  Speaker 3: the Prime Minister and a number of things were working through.
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  Speaker 3: You can normally expect announcement around areas to cooperate all
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  Speaker 3: steps forward. But look, I want to leave that for
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  Speaker 3: the Prime Minister in the premiere to do later in
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  Speaker 3: the week.
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  Speaker 2: Why was there that gap of seven years without a visit.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think it's probably a range of things. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: I was in opposition for all that time, so you know,
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  Speaker 3: I didn't have too much input, but I suppose we
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  Speaker 3: also had COVID through the middle of that. But since
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  Speaker 3: the change of government last year, there has been an
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  Speaker 3: increase in contact and engagement. I've been up to China
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  Speaker 3: for meetings with my counterparts across portfolios. In fact, I've
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  Speaker 3: had two meetings with their Commerce minister, who's the equivalent
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  Speaker 3: of trade. The Chinese Foreign Minister has visited here with
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  Speaker 3: meet with the Prime Minister with St Peters and I
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  Speaker 3: and we've just had another minister from China down as well.
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  Speaker 3: So you know, it's clear to say that there's a
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  Speaker 3: lot of engagement going on, and you know forty billions
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  Speaker 3: with the two way trade. That's very important for us
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  Speaker 3: to keep that relationship open and keep talking Todd.
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  Speaker 2: Some people are reading it as if the Chinese had
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  Speaker 2: got the PIP with the Labor Party, your predecessors, But
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  Speaker 2: I just wonder, I mean, that may have been part
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  Speaker 2: of it, but I wonder if it actually is more
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  Speaker 2: of a reflection of the breakdown and the relationship between
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  Speaker 2: Australia and China.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think it was certainly clear when Labor first
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  Speaker 3: came to government. It took quite some time for them
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  Speaker 3: to be a visit and then you remember Prime Minister
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  Speaker 3: of Doing went up there and was only able to
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  Speaker 3: go up for a day. And look, probably that was
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  Speaker 3: as much to do with a new government working out
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  Speaker 3: what to do domestically. But it doesn't matter whether it's
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  Speaker 3: China or the US, or the European Union or India.
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  Speaker 3: You know, a small country like New Zeala needs to
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  Speaker 3: keep investing in those relationships. We can't just assume that
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  Speaker 3: you know that people will buy from us or governments
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  Speaker 3: will know where we are. And so I think that's why,
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  Speaker 3: you know, it's very very important this visit is taking place.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think it is to do with what's happened
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  Speaker 3: in Australia. And you know we've seen the Australian Chinese relationship,
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  Speaker 3: particularly in tradeer period of time, you know, strengthen and
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  Speaker 3: get back to an agree of normaloity.
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  Speaker 2: Todd beast of like enjoy the trip. That's Todd McLay,
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  Speaker 2: Trade Minister.
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