New Zealand, Hainan to strengthen cooperation

South China's Hainan province and New Zealand will strengthen cooperation in many fields, according to participants of the China (Hainan) - New Zealand Economic and Trade Exchange Meeting held at the Window to Global Trade in Haikou on Friday.

About 30 business leaders from New Zealand and 50 Chinese companies attended the event.

The meeting gathered New Zealand and Chinese companies from various sectors, including trade, construction, finance, energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and tourism.

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Hainan and Auckland Chamber of Commerce, as well as Window to Global Trade and New Zealand Chinese Business Club, signed cooperation memorandums to promote more practical cooperation between Hainan and New Zealand.

"Visiting Hainan is a great opportunity to better understand the Hainan Free Trade Port. Its preferential policies are very attractive to New Zealand businesses," said Hon. Simon Bridges, CEO of Auckland Business Chamber.

Rachel Crump, Consul General of New Zealand in Guangzhou, said it was her first official visit to Hainan, but she believes it's just the beginning.

"New Zealand has advantages in technology innovation, green energy and ecological agriculture, offering vast opportunities for cooperation with Hainan," she added.

Both the New Zealand business delegation and Chinese companies are confident about investing and cooperating in Hainan and willing to collaborate in many areas including beef and lamb processing, and tourism services.

Many are very interested in establishing companies in Hainan, according to Yang Jian, chairman of New Zealand Chinese Business Club.

"The policies are even better than we imagined. The zero tariffs on multiple imports, value-added processing policies and Hainan's excellent business services have left deep impressions on the companies," he said.

"In 2020, we began to pay attention to Hainan Free Trade Port. After this on-site inspection in the province, we have great confidence in investing in the FTP and will consider establishing a financial company in Hainan," said Sun Chengfan, founder of Jinghong Group.