Beijing, September 5th—Song Tao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with a delegation headed by Simon Joseph Bridges, Leader of the New Zealand National Party (National).

Song said that in recent years, China-New Zealand relations have maintained a sound momentum of development on the whole. The friendly cooperation between the two countries has created many firsts, leading China's relations with the Western developed countries. At the beginning of this year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had a successful meeting and reached important consensus, injecting new impetus into bilateral relations. The CPC attaches great importance to its relations with the National and appreciates its positive contributions to the development of China-New Zealand relations. Some dangerous developments are taking place in international relations, and a certain country is wielding the stick of tariffs and putting extreme pressure on other countries at every turn. This goes against the spirit of free trade and multilateralism and undermines the interests of most countries, including China and New Zealand. New Zealand is the first Western developed country to sign a free trade agreement with China. We hope that both sides will jointly utter the voice of opposing unilateralism and trade protectionism.

Bridges agreed with Song's positive comments on the relations between the two Parties and the two countries, and praised the great achievements made since the founding of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago. He expressed that the National attaches great importance to developing relations with China and is willing to enhance institutional exchanges with the CPC, and make new contributions to the friendly cooperation between the two countries. As a small country, New Zealand values free trade and multilateralism more and is ready to work with China to uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.

Guo Yezhou, Vice-minister of the IDCPC, was present.

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