BEIJING – The prime minister of New Zealand stressed the importance of his country’s trade ties with China in a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Friday.

Christopher Luxon, on his first visit to China since becoming prime minister in late 2023, flew to Beijing after two days of meetings with officials and business leaders in Shanghai, China’s commercial center.

He wants to maintain healthy trade relations with China, an important market for New Zealand products, despite differences over regional and global security issues and China’s growing divide with the United States.

“Our trade and economic links are complementary and contribute to prosperity in both countries,” he was quoted as saying in a news release following his meeting with Xi.

Luxon said he raised the necessity of reducing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and the importance of what he called “the key role” that China can play in helping to resolve global challenges such as the war in Ukraine.

“In a complex world, open dialogue is more important than ever,” Luxon said in a post about the meeting on X.

His exchange with Xi came one day after revelations that New Zealand had suspended millions of dollars in aid to the Cook Islands over concerns about the latter’s deepening ties with China.

China accounts for more than 20% of New Zealand’s exports of goods and services.