Chinese premier meets New Zealand PM

BEIJING - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held talks with visiting Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key on Wednesday.

China and New Zealand have set a model for mutually beneficial cooperation between developing and developed countries, said Li during their talks in the Great Hall of People in Beijing.

The free trade agreement (FTA) that China and New Zealand signed five years ago was the first of its kind that China has inked with a developed nation.

According to Li, China is striving to break the bottleneck of resources and environment and upgrade its economic development model, while New Zealand enjoys the advantages of a strong green economy, so the two sides have much room for cooperation on energy saving and environmental protection.

He urged the two countries to create conditions for expanding two-way investment and boosting China-New Zealand trade relations in a comprehensive and balanced manner.

The Chinese premier said China will enhance coordination with New Zealand on global governance and regional issues so as to promote regional peace and stability.

Key said New Zealand will continue to deepen its partnership with China and enhance bilateral cooperation in areas as finance, food safety, investment and education.