On April 7, 2022, the Protocol on Upgrading the Free Trade Agreement between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of New Zealand (hereinafter referred to as the Upgrade Protocol) came into effect.

The China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement was signed on April 7, 2008 and implemented on October 1 of the same year. China and New Zealand started the negotiation on upgrading the FTA in November 2016, and signed the Upgrade Protocol on January 26, 2021. The Upgrade Protocol further expands the market access for goods, services, investment and other areas, further improves trade facilitation and other rules, and also adds four chapters on e-commerce, competition policy, government procurement, environment and trade, which could better meet the needs of modern economic and trade development.

The Upgrade Protocol has further improved the quality and efficiency of the free trade relations between China and New Zealand on the basis of the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), which is conducive to further deepening pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in various fields, releasing policy dividends from the high-level opening up, promoting liberalization and facilitation of bilateral trade and investment, and substantiating the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and New Zealand.