New Zealand’s Ardern eyes trade mission to China | Economy

New Zealand prime minister says she hopes to visit main trade partner early next year if border restrictions allow.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her intention to lead a trade mission to China once the country reopens its borders.

Ardern said on Friday she had expressed her hopes to visit to China’s President Xi Jinping during talks last month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, their first in-person meeting since 2018.

“I do hope to return to China in person when the settings allow, and I discussed with the president our ambition of taking a trade mission into China early next year – a plan that was welcomed by the president,” Ardern told a meeting of the New Zealand-China Council in Auckland.

Ardern said New Zealand’s trade and economic links with China have proven resilient despite the challenges of…