Roundtable: China's Development and China-New Zealand Relations

Roundtable: China's Development and China-New Zealand Relations

Date: 15 March 2016 Time: 1.00 pm

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, with the New CPC leadership headed by President Xi Jinping, China has seen great changes in its economic and social development and its relations with the outside world in these three years. As leaders in both New Zealand and China have expressed their commitment to building the "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," it is crucial to understand how the future of China's reforms and development will bring important opportunities to the bilateral relationship.

In this roundtable discussions, Vice-Minister, Mr Guo Yezhou, will share his insights on the new thinking and new ideas of Xi Jinping, and what's next for China-New Zealand relations under the current economic situation in China.

About the speaker

Mr Guo Yezhou

Guo Yezhou, born in February 1966, is a native of Huai’an, Jiangsu Province. He is the member of the Communist Party of China since July 1993.

Guo Yezhou was admitted into the German Language Department of Beijing Foreign Studies University in September 1983. He started to work  at the International Department of the CPC Central Committee since August 1987 and has successively served as Deputy Division Director, Division Director, Deputy Director-General of Bureau VIII, Deputy Director-General and then Director-General of the Research Office, Director-General of Bureau II, Assistant Minister and concurrently as Director-General of the General Office. He worked at Linzi District of Zibo City, Shandong Province between November 1989 and October 1990 to gain community working experience. He was posted and served in the Chinese Embassy in the Federal Republic of Germany from March 1991 to August 1993, and from January 1996 to February 1998. He worked as Deputy Secretary of the CPC Fengrun County Committee in Hebei Province between May 2001 and January 2002. From August 2010 to August 2013, he served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Bulgaria. He assumed the office of Vice-Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee in January 2014.