Beijing has called on Wellington to collaborate so that both sides can move "toward the same direction, make the pie of cooperation bigger, [and] rise above external distractions".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Wednesday claimed that progress in bolstering bilateral ties "is achieved on the premise that the two sides have long been committed to mutual respect, mutual trust, and win-win results".
He urged New Zealand to work with China "to jointly advance" what Zhao touted as a "comprehensive strategic partnership".
The spokesman praised Beijing and Wellington as "each other's important cooperation partners", expressing hope that New Zealand "can carry forward the spirit of 'striving to be the first' and the principle of mutual respect and equal treatment".
The remarks come a few days after New Zealand's Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in an interview with The Guardian that consequences from a current trade war between China and Australia may ride roughshod over her country.
"We cannot ignore, obviously, what's happening in Australia with their relationship with China. And if they are close to an eye of the storm or in the eye of the storm, we've got to legitimately ask ourselves – it may only be a matter of time before the storm gets closer to us", Mahuta argued.
She added that the nation's exporters "need to think about diversification" and broaden "relationships across our region […] if something significant happened with China".
No Shift in New Zealand's Stance on China
New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was quick to comment on the interview, saying that it did not indicate a shift in Wellington's position on Beijing.
Beijing remains Wellington's largest trading partner. According to New Zealand's Foreign Ministry, the Chinese economy offers significant opportunities for the country's businesses with two-way trade – exports and imports of goods and services – exceeding $23.7 billion.
The Chinese state-run outlet Global Times, in turn, referred to "geopolitical struggles" "bringing headwinds to the China-New Zealand relationship as the New Zealand government has been criticised by its Western allies for being 'soft' toward China".
"For some time in the future, such pressure may continue to affect New Zealand, blocking it from maintaining normal ties with China", the outlet predicted in an editorial.
According to the Global Times, even though the Mahuta interview reflected increasing geopolitical pressure on New Zealand, it also showed that the country could avoid "the storm" if it continued its "pragmatic" policies.
China-Australia Trade War
These developments unfold against the backdrop of strained relations between China and Australia, which soured in May 2020, when Beijing imposed 80 percent tariffs on barley imports from Australia in retaliation for the Pacific nation's Prime Minister Scott Morrison demanding an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus.
Following the bilateral diplomatic rift, Beijing also issued warnings to its citizens not to travel to Australia. According to a study conducted by the Perth USAsia Centre, the row disrupted Canberra's exports by at least $19 billion.
China was Australia's largest trading partner in 2019, accounting for 27.4 percent of Canberra's overall trade, according to the Pacific nation's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Bilateral trade recorded a 23.9 percent increase, reaching a record $252 billion in 2019.
