New Zealanders are largely positive about China-New Zealand relations, according to a new survey gauging impressions of China.
Perceptions of China Monitor: Survey 2018, was commissioned by the New Zealand China Council and questioned online 1001 New Zealanders aged 18 years and over earlier this year.
The findings showed that 43 per cent of New Zealanders were positive about New Zealand-China relations, with only 14 per cent negative. Over a third of the respondents want to see trade with China increase, while 38 per cent want it to stay the same.
Meanwhile, 69 per cent aid Mandarin was one of the most useful foreign languages to be taught in New Zealand schools.
Apart from the positivity towards China and China-New Zealand ties, the report also revealed some of the misunderstandings held by Kiwis – 63 per cent of those surveyed knew China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, but many mistakenly believed that China is also New Zealand's largest source of investment.
The three largest investors in the country are Australia, the UK and the US. China is New Zealand's biggest trading partner and trade is at an all-time high with $26 billion two-way trade.
The council's executive director, Stephen Jacobi said the findings were encouraging overall: "One might have thought that there was a much larger percentage of New Zealanders who harboured reservations about this relationship but that is not the case."
Mr Jacobi said the survey also showed most New Zealanders were positive about Chinese culture, and thought Mandarin was one of the most useful languages that could be taught in schools.
Mr Jacobi said the survey showed that New Zealanders were not in favour of unfettered foreign investment in this country but it also indicated some misconceptions about Chinese investment.
"This study showed that most New Zealanders felt that the Chinese were not only the largest investor, which they're not [Australia is], but that they were mostly investing in property in residential housing, which is not the case at all, in fact they're investing in a wide variety of areas."
Content sourced from the People's Daily Online here