Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called on New Zealand on Monday to ensure a fair investment environment, as he meet Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern whose country has rejected a bid by Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build a 5G mobile network.
Ardern told Li that she wanted to underline the importance her country placed on its relationship with China. In 2008, New Zealand became the first Western country to sign a free trade agreement with China. "This is an opportunity to have a dialogue to talk about the way the process has been undertaken to date and where it currently stands," she said, adding that some media reports that suggest Huawei is banned in New Zealand are not true.Ardern has acknowledged there were complexities in the relationship with China, but has dismissed concerns of a rift with New Zealand's largest trading partner.
New York-based Human Rights Watch called in a letter to Arden last week for her to publicly express concern about the situation in China's far Western region of Xinjiang when she meets Chinese leaders.
Chins calling out NZ on fair trade ?