New Zealand Still Optimistic About China Trade

Todd McClay says despite a slowing in China’s economy, it still remains a vital market for New Zealand, taking 22 percent of goods and services exports.

Chinese Foreign Affairs Minister Wang Yi and New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay shake hands before a meeting at Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand, on March 18, 2024. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

Trade Minister Todd McClay, in China this week, says he’s optimistic about New Zealand’s chances of expanding its exports there, despite its debt-ridden property and government sectors.

He pointed to the forecast of 4.5 percent economic growth this year and next for the Asian nation.