On May 15, 2023, Minister Wang Zhigang met with New Zealand Ambassador to China, Grahame Morton. The two sides exchanged views on deepening bilateral cooperation in scientific and technological innovation and other topics.

　　Minister Wang Zhigang pointed out that President Xi Jinping met with then-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Bangkok in November 2022, and set the direction for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. To implement the important consensus of the two leaders, the Ministry of Science and Technology is willing to work together with the New Zealand side to push bilateral sci-tech cooperation to a new height. Our sci-tech cooperation has maintained a stable and upward trend. Since we signed the intergovernmental agreement on sci-tech cooperation, we have carried out fruitful cooperation in areas of mutual interest. Looking ahead, the Ministry of Science and Technology is willing to deepen cooperation through channels such as the China-New Zealand Science and Technology Cooperation Joint Committee mechanism, the Joint Scientific Research Funding Program, and the Scientists Exchange Program, to make greater contributions to the economic and social development of China, New Zealand and the whole world.

　　Ambassador Grahame Morton spoke highly of sci-tech cooperation between New Zealand and China, and he fully agreed with Minister Wang Zhigang’s suggestions on future cooperation. He said the two countries share a common vision for cooperation in many research fields. New Zealand would like to deepen sci-tech cooperation, join hands with China to deal with common challenges, and promote the results of sci-tech cooperation to serve the people of the two countries and the world.