“Two, new Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) staff will be stationed in China by the end of the year in addition to a number of locally engaged staff,” Guy said.
The meeting at AQSIQ follows Guy’s meeting with Chinese Agriculture Minister Han Changfu earlier this week.
“Both meetings were very positive and all parties reaffirmed their desire to maintain and build upon our established relationships,” Guy said.
“Managing connections between NZ and China is a high priority for this Government.
“These relationships are vital to be able to work with the Chinese authorities and businesses to ensure that trade – which is in both countries’ interest – flows smoothly.
“It will also help us deal with any issues that arise in a timely and effective way.
“China is NZ’s largest export market and dramatic growth has seen our trade triple in the past five years.
“This has been driven by China’s economic growth, the Free Trade Agreement with China and NZ’s strong reputation for food safety.
“I invited vice-minister Wei to NZ to personally see the systems NZ has in place to assure the world that our produce is high quality and safe.”
AQSIQ officials will also be visiting NZ next week to begin work on new meat certification documents.
“The new MPI staff in China will bring a combination of technical and policy expertise,” Guy said.
“When Minister Han Changfu was in NZ in April this year we signed a Strategic Plan on Promoting Agricultural Co-operation. Additional resources in China will help us get the most out of that arrangement and other arrangements we have between our two countries.”
