China and New Zealand convened the 34th session of their Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETC) in Beijing on June 5, 2026, co-chaired by China's International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang and New Zealand's Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mark Sinclair.
The meeting underscored the resilience of bilateral commercial ties, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to accelerating negotiations on a negative list for services trade under the upgraded free trade agreement. Li highlighted the strategic guidance provided by the June 2025 meeting between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, noting that economic cooperation between the two countries continues to unlock new potential.
"In the current international trade environment, China and New Zealand should jointly defend the multilateral trading system centred on the WTO and strengthen coordination under regional frameworks such as APEC," Li said. Sinclair, for his part, emphasised that China remains New Zealand's largest trading partner and top source of international students, adding that sustained Chinese economic growth is vitally important to New Zealand.
Bilateral trade is projected to reach NZ$43 billion this year. The JETC mechanism, which has operated for over three decades, remains the primary institutional channel for deepening economic integration between the two nations.
2026年6月5日，第34届中国—新西兰经贸联委会在北京召开，由中国商务部国际贸易谈判代表兼副部长李成钢与新西兰外交贸易部副秘书长毛瑞共同主持。
会议凸显了双边经贸关系的韧性。双方重申将加快推进自贸协定服务贸易负面清单谈判。李成钢指出，在2025年6月习近平主席与拉克森总理重要会晤的战略引领下，中新经贸合作潜力持续释放。他强调，在当前国际经贸形势下，中新应共同捍卫以世贸组织为核心的多边贸易体制，加强在APEC等区域框架下的协作。
毛瑞表示，中国长期保持新西兰最大贸易伙伴和最大留学生来源地地位，中国经济持续稳定增长对新方至关重要。新方愿继续扩大双边经贸合作，欢迎更多中国企业赴新投资兴业。
今年中新双边贸易额预计将达到430亿新西兰元。运行超过三十年的经贸联委会机制，仍然是两国深化经济一体化的主要制度性渠道。
Source: Zhonghongwang / MOFCOM
Comment:
The timing of the 34th JETC is significant. Coming just days after APEC trade ministers met in Suzhou, this bilateral gathering reinforces the message that both Beijing and Wellington view their economic relationship as a stabilising force amid global trade uncertainty. The commitment to a services trade negative list is particularly noteworthy — it signals that the China-NZ FTA, already a gold-standard agreement, is evolving beyond traditional goods trade into areas like finance, education, and professional services. For New Zealand exporters watching tariff disputes elsewhere, the institutional predictability of the JETC framework offers a rare commodity: certainty.
第34届经贸联委会的时机颇具深意。在APEC贸易部长苏州会议刚刚落幕之际，这场双边会谈再次传递出一个信号：北京和惠灵顿都将彼此的经济关系视为全球贸易不确定性中的稳定力量。服务贸易负面清单谈判的推进尤其值得关注——这意味着已经堪称标杆的中新自贸协定，正在从传统货物贸易向金融、教育、专业服务等领域延伸。对于在全球关税争端中观望的新西兰出口商而言，经贸联委会机制所提供的制度性预期，是一种稀缺的确定性。