Optimisation of international cooperation with Belt and Road Initiative

“To successfully implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we must swiftly move from commitments to action. To do that, we need strong, inclusive and integrated partnerships at all levels.” -Ban Ki-moon.

The pace of globalization is rapid and it has been making changes to the whole world. Partnerships actually relate to international cooperation, which is becoming very important to today’s world than ever before in all aspects.

Belt and Road North Island Roadshow was held by New Zealand China Council in Hamilton and Tauranga on 15 August 2018. The key topic of the meeting Tauranga tonight is about how the Belt and Road Initiative can benefit our businesses and be factored into our business planning.

China is currently playing a vital role in the globalization. The Belt and Road Initiative is at the centre of Chinese policy-making and at the very core of China’s country to country relationships. It is such an important concept in China today that anyone doing business there needs to have an understanding of it.

‘China is changing at a very fast pace. The outside world may have difficulty seeing it through and have some doubts. There is one thing we know for sure will not change over a long period: Opening-up and determination to keep improving peoples’ life. We can almost assert that China will remain a huge market for countries like New Zealand for the decades to come.’ – William Zhao, the Director General of OSRN, said in today’s meeting.

By appealing to the Belt and Road Initiative, OSRN has put efforts in promoting the connection of China and New Zealand in all aspects. The second Next Summit will be held by OSRN in Hangzhou later this year. It is a summit for industrial and commercial circles: devoted to establishing a public service platform and network system, which is enterprise-led, stressed in optimal practices, linked by integrating international economic, cultural and social elites, and aiming at promoting project docking and practical cooperation between China and New Zealand.

New Zealand is one of Belt and Road countries. New Zealand’s future involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative will certainly add value to extensive engagement with China and to New Zealand’s relationship with China and other countries along the Belt and Road.

The Belt and Road Initiative matters to China and therefore, if we want to continue to expand our relationship, it has to matter to New Zealand.