Chinese Consul General in Auckland Chen Shijie Visits the Far North District

On 7 September, Consul General Chen Shijie visited the Far North District and had an in-depth exchange of views with Mayor Moko Tepania on strengthening subnational cooperation and other issues of mutual interest.

Chen briefed Mayor Tepania on the latest progress in practical cooperation between China and New Zealand across various fields. He noted that subnational cooperation is an important component of the China-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. As an important birthplace of Māori culture, the Far North District is richly endowed with natural resources. It established a sister-city relationship with China’s Liaoning Province as early as 2000, and the two sides enjoy strong economic complementarity. The Consulate-General stands ready to serve as a bridge and facilitate greater exchanges and cooperation between the Far North District and China in such areas as tourism, science and education, agriculture and infrastructure.

Mayor Tepania welcomed CG Chen and his delegation. He said that the Far North District attaches great importance to its sister relationship with Liaoning Province and looks forward to the opportunity to visit China and further explore new opportunities for cooperation.

During the visit, Chen also visited forest plantations in the Far North owned by China Forestry Group New Zealand Company. He learned about the company’s workplace safety and business operations, and expressed his hope that it would actively expand its business, uphold compliance in its operations, and make greater contributions to promoting China-New Zealand economic and trade cooperation.