On March 2, 2018, Vice Minister Huang Wei of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Deputy Chief Executive Paul Stocks of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment of New Zealand co-chaired the Fifth China-New Zealand Joint Commission Meeting on Science and Technology Cooperation.

At the meeting, Vice Minister Huang Wei talked about strategic plans for speeding up the building of China into an innovative country unveiled at the Nineteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China as well as important documents including the Plan for Implementing the National Strategy of Innovation-driven Development and 13th Five-Year National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan which have been released by the Chinese government, stressing the significance of science, technology and innovation in promoting economic development and accelerating transition from old to new driving forces for development. Vice Minister Huang affirmed the pragmatic cooperation between the two sides under the Agreement on a Five Year Roadmap for China-New Zealand Science and Technology Cooperation and hoped that at the current meeting the two sides could specify key areas of cooperation for the next stage and continue to deepen bilateral cooperation.

Deputy Chief Executive Paul Stokes expressed his appreciation of the Chinese proposal and said the New Zealand government equally recognized the key role of science and innovation in improving people's lives and promoting social progress. He expressed the hope that the two sides could further enhance bilateral cooperation in science and technology against a backdrop of both countries attaching great importance to science, technology and innovation.

Participants exchanged views on the development trends of science and technology in the two countries, reviewed the progress and highlights of bilateral cooperation, and discussed future cooperation based on the development trends of science and technology in both countries and the status quo of their cooperation. Both sides expressed satisfaction with progress in the implementation of strategic research alliance projects in the three priority fields of food safety and security, water resources, non-communicable diseases, and agreed to continue to promote joint sponsorship of R&D projects in wider fields in the next five years. Meanwhile, the two sides also explored opportunities for project cooperation in a larger scale. Both sides affirmed the positive role of the China-New Zealand Scientist Exchange Program in enhancing mutual trust and fostering cooperation and expressed willingness to explore and support the exchange of innovators between the two countries. The two sides paid high attention to the joint laboratories and joint R&D centers established by research institutions of the two countries, as well as overseas innovation centers established by universities and enterprises, hoping that these platforms can promote the development of bilateral cooperation in innovation.

After the meeting, Vice Minister Huang Wei and Deputy Chief Executive Paul Stokes signed the Arrangement on a Five Year Roadmap for China-New Zealand Science and Technology Cooperation (2018-2022).