Chinese Premier Li Keqiang Arrived in New Zealand on Sunday for a two-day visit that will mainly focus on strengthening trade ties between the two countries. Li is the first high-profile Chinese leader to arrive in New Zealand after the former Prime Minister John Key visited the Asian country last year.

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Li and his wife Madame Cheng were welcomed at the Wellington airport by his counterpart Bill English and his wife, Mary. Wellington City Councillor Simon Woolf and New Zealand's Ambassador to China John McKinnon were also present at the welcome ceremony.

New Zealand has pinned high hopes on Chinese Premier's visit. Talks on upgrading the existing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be high on English's list. English's predecessor Key had pushed for upgrading the FTA during his visit to China last year. He had stated that the talks over the FTA issue would officially begin in the first half of 2017.

For New Zealand, the upgrading of the FTA would help the country to cope with the possible fallout of President Donald Trump's ongoing trade protectionism campaign. The U.S. has withdrawn from Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in a strong signal that it will no more be the champion of globalization and free trade.

China is fundamentally an important nation for Wellington's economic ambitions amid the global slowdown. The Asian giant is New Zealand's second-largest trading partner and also its biggest market for export.

Trade between the two countries has boomed since the signing of FTA in 2008, with two-way trade reaching a new high of $23 billion in 2016. This is three times more than what existed before the signing of FTA in 2008.  

However, both countries share a very tense relationship over the South China Sea and human right issues. New Zealand's decision to side with the U.S. over sensitive political issues has often cast a shadow on their bilateral relationship.  

Tagschina, new zealand, China and New Zealand, Li Keqiang