New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins (left) and New Zealand Ambassador to China Grahame Morton get off the airplane in Beijing on June 25, 2023. Photo: VCG

 
New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Thursday went on a popular Chinese social media platform to make a personal pitch for Chinese tourists to visit his country, before he wraps up what has been described as a very fruitful visit to China.  

Hipkins wrote both in Chinese and English on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle sharing site widely popular among young people in China, under a Chinese title "New Zealand Prime Minister meets Xiaohongshu, inviting everyone to visit New Zealand."

"Whether you love nature, are adventurous at heart, enjoy exploring culinary delights, or are curious about unique cultures, we welcome you to explore Aotearoa New Zealand!" Hipkins wrote in the post, which included several pictures from an event marking cooperation between Tourism New Zealand and Xiaohongshu. 

Many Xiaohongshu users were delighted by the post, with some saying they were already applying for visas and others posting their travel plans. However, some also raised concerns. One user wrote that "although New Zealand is a great place, the airfare is too expensive."

In an apparent effort to boost travel, New Zealand and China Southern Airlines have announced the resumption of direct flights from Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province to Christchurch in New Zealand, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by China Southern Airlines on Thursday. 

The company plans to resume direct flights from Guangzhou to Christchurch in November 2023, while offering three additional weekly direct flights from Guangzhou to Auckland at the same time. Hipkins attended the corresponding media event. 

This is just one of the many cooperation arrangements achieved during Hipkins' first visit to China as New Zealand's Prime Minister. The visit, which is scheduled to conclude on Friday, has been fruitful and achieved a slew of outcomes, officials said. 

"The Chinese side considers the visit a trip that has contributed to mutual understanding, deepened mutual trust and expanded cooperation," Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a regular press briefing on Thursday. 

Mao further stated that China stands ready to work with New Zealand, actively deliver on the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, continue to deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership and bring more benefits to the two countries and peoples.

Hipkins' visit to China has seen the signing of cooperation documents in various areas on top of a joint statement on the comprehensive strategic partnership released by the two countries, Chen Hong, director of the New Zealand Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

China and New Zealand will further boost economic and trade ties in various aspects, and the two nations will start negotiations on a negative list for services trade in 2023, while further strengthening trade, expanding cooperation in sectors including e-commerce and maintaining communication on cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, according to the joint statement. 

The statement also noted the signing of multiple cooperation agreements covering sectors such as agriculture, education, technology and intellectual property rights. 

In terms of tourism, Chen said that New Zealand has abundant resources and Chinese travelers have a lot of consumption potential as well as pent-up demand. 

Jia Jianqiang, CEO of Beijing-based online tourism agency 6renyou, told the Global Times that New Zealand is simplifying visa procedures, which shows that the nation is hoping more Chinese tourists and students will visit. 

Flight capacity between China and New Zealand has recovered to about 70 percent at present, which is partly due to increasing bilateral business and people-to-people exchanges, Jia said.

In 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, 407,100 Chinese tourists visited New Zealand, and despite a fall in the number of arrivals, China remained New Zealand's second-largest visitor market since December 2012, according to data from Stats NZ.