The 35th anniversary of New Zealand establishing diplomatic relations with
the People’s Republic of China (PRC) fell on 22 December 2007. This
anniversary was marked by high-powered celebrations in both Beijing and
Wellington. Yet, it should not be forgotten that New Zealand-China relations
stretch much longer than the 35 years of formal relations with the PRC. There
is a saying in Chinese, “when drinking water, think of its source” (yin shui si
yuan), and in this paper I will survey some of the historical sources of New
Zealand’s current close interest in, and involvement with, China. New
Zealand has long had an extensive and complex relationship with China. The
diversity of these long-term connections has resulted in an unusually high
level of awareness of China and its people in New Zealand, and a strong
interest in expanding the relationship still further. Another saying is also
useful as a framework for understanding New Zealand-China relations: “seek
common points; face up to differences.” China’s rising dominance in the
Asia-Pacific region in recent years has brought about a significant readjustment
in New Zealand’s foreign policy, one which the New Zealand
population appears ill-prepared to adjust to and which poses a number of
challenges for the future. In the second half of the paper, I will discuss some
of the points New Zealand has in common with China, along with some of
the differences
