Bilateral talks dominate first day of President Xi's visit
The 160-strong Chinese delegation will spend the day in Wellington.
Hot Topic
Hawke’s Bay
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan will spend the first day of their visit in Wellington on mainly official business.
After arriving in Auckland late last night with a 160-strong delegation from Sydney, they will be greeted at Wellington Airport by the mayor, Celia Wade-Brown, and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully.
The visitors will then receive an official welcome at Government House, Newtown, from Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae before a state banquet lunch.
Bilateral talks between President Xi and Prime Minister John Key covering trade, climate change and other issues will be held at Premier House, Thorndon, along with the formal signing of NZ-China agreements.
Meanwhile, Madame Peng, a former singing star in China, will visit Massey University's College of Creative Arts at the Mount Cook campus, where she will be conferred with an honorary doctorate degree and tour a graduate exhibition.
The visitors then return to Auckland for a dinner with Prime Minister John Key at Government House.
Friday: Engagements at SkyCity Grand start with a meeting with new Opposition leader Andrew Little and a mayoral forum, where President Xi gives an address.
This event also includes a ceremony acknowledging a new agreement to establish better connections between New Zealand and the 656 cities and provinces in China.
After a "multi-media showcase" lunch at SkyCity, the Chinese delegation heads for an agri-tech display at the Karaka NZ Bloodstock Yards before the departure from Auckland Airport at 3pm for Fiji.
This is President Xi’s second visit in four years but his first as head of state. He was last here as vice-president in 2010 while the previous head of state to visit was Hu Jintao in 2003,
Nevil Gibson
Thu, 20 Nov 2014
Thu, 20 Nov 2014
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
Bilateral talks dominate first day of President Xi's visit
43249