New Zealand’s “Sunshine Golden Fruit” continues to shine in Chinese market
In early April, an international freighter loaded with New Zealand’s 2022 kiwifruit will arrive at Taizhou port in China.
On March 24, when the “fresh first ship” made its maiden voyage from the Port of Tauranga, New Zealand, the “High-end Dialogue on China-New Zealand Fruit Industry Policy” co-hosted by the International Business Daily of Chinese Ministry of Commerce and NEXT Federation was held online. The meeting was co-chaired by Tony Browne (Chinese name: Bao Yizhi), Chairman of the Council of NEXT Federation and former New Zealand Ambassador to China, and Yu Shiwei, Vice President of International Business Daily of China’s Ministry of Commerce. At the same time, a maiden voyage ceremony was held for New Zealand’s new season of kiwifruit exported to China.
(Group Photo)
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of China-New Zealand diplomatic relations, through the time and space connection of the online conference platform, New Zealand Ambassador to China Her Excellency Clare Fearnley, and Tim Knox, Deputy Director-Geneal China Relations, Ministry of Primary Industries(MPI) of New Zealand, Bruce Cameron, Chairman of Zespri Group, and General Manager of Greater China of Zespri Group Michael Jiang(Jiang Shijie), Miao Wenbin, Deputy Mayor of Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, Xu Xiaohu, Vice President of China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products, Lu Fangxiao, President of China Fruit Circulation Association, etc. The heavyweight guests from the two countries discussed the development prospects of the economic and trade industry of fruits.
“In the past 50 years, the bilateral relations between New Zealand and China have become increasingly close and mature, and cooperation in many fields such as economy, trade, and cultural engagement has continued to expand.” Her Excellency Clare Fearnley said that the upgrading of bilateral relations between New Zealand and China will bring great benefits to the development of the fruit and horticultural industry, “The trade exchanges of our two countries are quite resilient, I believe it will definitely be able to recover from the impact of the epidemic. I wish New Zealand’s new season of kiwifruit sales to China a complete success.”
China-New Zealand bilateral relations have set a number of “firsts” and have become a model of long-term, stable and friendly cooperative relations between China and developed countries. The “Protocol to Upgrade China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement” will come into effect on April 7. This is also the first free trade upgrade arrangement reached between China and a developed country, marking a good start for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and New Zealand.
According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, the bilateral trade volume between China and New Zealand in 2021 close to 160 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 27.2%. Among them, the import of fruit products amounted to 4.15 billion yuan. It is not easy to achieve such results under the pandemic.
New Zealand’s advantages in agricultural product quality and safe production have given Tim Knox full confidence in the close cooperation with Chinese agriculture under the epidemic and in the growth of Chinese exports of kiwifruit and other fruits. “We are working closely with Chinese customs to make corresponding adjustments to the relevant requirements under the epidemic, and look forward to bringing more nutritious and sustainable New Zealand agricultural products to China.”
“Under the pandemic, China-New Zealand bilateral trade has achieved contrarian growth not only due to the ‘big fire’ between the governments of the two countries, but also due to the ‘slow cooking’ between the industries of the two countries.” The customs experts at the meeting believed that the theme of this activity is to create an unofficial and institutional communication channel between the fruit industries of the two countries. It is hoped that this channel can further promote the development of the fruit industry in the two countries and bring more tangible benefits to the two peoples.
(Ben McLeod, Global Marketing Director of Mr. Apple, New Zealand)
Ben McLeod, global marketing director of Mr. Apple, New Zealand, said that based on New Zealand’s unique island planting advantages, the company has adhered to its main business and continuous innovation for decades, attaching importance to system building, food safety and customer experience, and is committed to producing high-quality apples. We look forward to contributing to the long-term sustainable development of New Zealand and China.
(Ashley Taggart, Partner of Lane Neave law firm in New Zealand)
As a witness of the 50 years of China-New Zealand diplomatic relations, Ashley Taggart, a partner of Lane Neave law firm in New Zealand with a history of more than 150 years, said that as a service provider for the deepening economic and trade investment cooperation between the two countries, the firm firmly believes that New Zealand and China can overcome the adverse impact of the pandemic, continuously improve the level of facilitation of investment and trade between the two countries, and further deepen bilateral cooperation.
(Heck Tang, China Supply Chain Manager of T&G)
Tang Junkai(Heck Tang), China Supply Chain Manager of T&G. believes that the imported fruit industry has significant supply-driven characteristics. The current fast-changing external situation has had a profound impact on the global fresh fruit supply chain, The importance of the industry’s supply chain resilience has been elevated to a higher level, and some changes have emerged. He said that he believed that the dark cloud of the pandemic will eventually dissipate, and the fresh fruit supply chain will “evolve” accordingly.
As a major importer and consumer of fruit products, the consumption upgrade in the Chinese market has created more than one miracle. Among them, the Chinese market accounts for 25% of Zespri Group’s export share of kiwifruit is a typical representative. The implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the double benefits of the upcoming implementation of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement Upgrade Protocol make Zespri expect the “Sunshine Golden Fruit” to shine even more in China.
Watching the new season of cargo ships loaded at Tauranga Port and departed for Taizhou, Zespri’s President Bruce Cameron couldn’t hide his excitement. He even began to look forward to making Chinese people “everyone has a kiwifruit”.
“Our 20 ships and 2,000 containers will be shipped one after another. In the next 5 years, we plan to double our sales to meet the needs of more Chinese consumers.” Bruce Cameron expressed his gratitude to the good cooperative relations with Chinese partners over the past 20 years. The icing on the cake is that in November last year, Zespri has passed the AEO advanced certification of China Customs, and will obtain a faster customs clearance speed in China’s import process.
Bruce Cameron promised to put safety in a more important position under the epidemic, strictly follow the requirements of the United Nations for quarantine inspection and control risks.