New Zealand PM Hipkins to visit China, meet President Xi Jinping
SYDNEY/BEIJING (Reuters) -New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday he would visit China from June 25 to 30, leading a trade delegation that includes some of the country's biggest companies.
Hipkins will meet President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and the chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress Zhao Leji during his visit.
"I'm looking forward to meeting with China's leadership through various face to face bilateral meetings, where topics such as climate change, economic stability, regional and global security, human rights, and the war in Ukraine will be discussed," Hipkins said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for China's foreign minister declined to offer details on the upcoming visit, when asked at a regular briefing on Monday.
"What I can tell you is that China values its relations with New Zealand and looks forward to strengthening cooperation with New Zealand in various fields, including the economy and trade," spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney and Martin Quin Pollard and Liz Lee in Beijing; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Gareth Jones)
