The New Zealand-China Economic Relationship in a Covid World - Online event

New Zealand’s relationship with China is economically critical. China is our largest merchandise trading partner and pre-Covid was our second largest source of tourists by both number (at more than 450,000) and value.

China was also the largest source of international students in our educational institutions. In total our bilateral trade/services relationship stood at over $32 billion. There is talk about the need for market diversification, which is an important discussion to have, but is this discussion about trade or is it about some wanting a “segmented” relationship with China? And how will New Zealand’s bilateral trade relationships and agreements, of which the NZ-China FTA is one of the most important, help or hinder our bilateral trade in a Covid economy? These are some of the issues that will be discussed and shared on the day.

About the speaker

Patrick English has been involved with China and international trade since 1989. He has a BA in Chinese studies and International Relations and a Master’s in International Management and Chinese. Patrick is an experienced Trade Commissioner and diplomat having served in Shanghai from 1996, in Beijing as Consul Commercial from 2002, and Guangzhou/Southern China as Consul General and Trade Commissioner from 2009. Patrick represented NZTE on the New Zealand China FTA negotiations team and led the market implementation programme for the NZ China FTA agreement.

Patrick returned to New Zealand in 2013 as the first Executive Director for the New Zealand China Council, a role he held for than 3½ years. Patrick is on the Board of the Confucius Institute in Auckland along with other advisory and board roles. In 2015, Patrick was appointed as the founding Chair of the Ministry for Primary Industry's Agricultural Growth Partnership Executive Group, an advisory board for government agencies.