President of New Zealand China Friendship Society visits Xiamen

Chris Lipscombe (L), president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society, is pictured during his visit to Xiamen. [Photo/WeChat ID: XIAMENFAO]

Chris Lipscombe, president of the New Zealand China Friendship Society, visited Xiamen city of Fujian province from May 9 to 11 with the aim of bolstering bilateral economic cooperation and cultural exchanges.

Lin Na, a member of the Party group at the Xiamen Foreign Affairs Office and deputy head of the Xiamen People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, thanked Lipscombe for his support in strengthening sister-city ties between Xiamen and New Zealand's Wellington. She also shared Xiamen's developmental achievements.

Lin said Xiamen and New Zealand have close communication channels and vast potential for cooperation in areas such as economy and culture. "We are willing to leverage the advantages of the sister-city ties and work hand in hand with the New Zealand China Friendship Society to integrate resources and achieve win-win cooperation," she said.

Lipscombe praised the achievements of Xiamen's economic and social development and thanked the city for its contributions to enhancing friendly relations between China and New Zealand. He said New Zealand will look to further boost exchanges with Xiamen and promote practical cooperation in the fields of trade, education, art and tourism. 

During his visit, Lipscombe toured Xiamen University and learned about the history and open education concept of the university as well as its exchanges with the Confucius Institute at Victoria University of Wellington. Lipscombe then held talks with local officials and discussed issues such as Chinese education, personnel exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and New Zealand civilizations.

He also visited the Xiamen cross-border e-commerce industrial park to seek cooperation opportunities between Xiamen and New Zealand. During his tour of Seashine Group, Lipscombe learned about the company's cooperation with New Zealand and discussed ways that would better connect New Zealand's product supplies with China's market demand. He also visited the Xiamen Little Egret Folk Dance Art Center and the Xiamen Art School to discuss how to restart cooperation in the field of arts following the pandemic.

Established in 1952, the New Zealand China Friendship Society aims to advance information sharing and exchanges between China and New Zealand in areas such as culture, economy and trade, and has played an important role in promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries.