Beijing, August 12th—Lu Kang, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with Phil Mauger, Mayor of Christchurch. 

Lu introduced the spirit of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and spoke highly of the traditional friendship and friendly cooperative relations between China and New Zealand, including those between Chinese provinces and cities and Christchurch. He said that the two sides should jointly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen practical cooperation in various fields, strengthen sub-national and people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and enhance the well-being of the two peoples. 

Mauger spoke positively of the friendly relations between Christchurch and the Chinese side, and expressed his willingness to actively promote mutually beneficial cooperation at the sub-national level and promote the development of bilateral relations. 

He Ying, the Consul General of China in Christchurch, Grahame Morton, New Zealand’s Ambassador to China, and others were present.