New Zealand’s top diplomat is set to visit China next week to mark a major deal with a state‑owned Chinese shipbuilder to upgrade interisland ferries serving the Pacific nation.
Advertisement
New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters confirmed his trip on Wednesday, a month after Wellington said it had secured a deal to source two new ferries from Guangzhou Shipyard International to connect the country’s two main islands across Cook Strait.
Peters told a press conference that he would travel to Guangzhou to “acknowledge” the NZ$596 million (US$337.2 million) fixed-price contract, which he described as “significant” and “a contribution to economic relations with China”.
Wellington is committed to maintaining and building a “strong, mature and mutually respectful” relationship with Beijing, according to a statement issued by the New Zealand government concerning the trip by Peters, who is also the country’s rail minister.
“We have been pleased with the number and quality of high-level visits between China and New Zealand over the past two years,” Peters was quoted as saying in the statement.
Advertisement