劉薇禛平

始于人民，長于人文

—專訪新西蘭駐華大使傅恩萊（Clare Fearnley）

中國與新西蘭建交48年，而人文交往的源頭則可追溯至近百年之前。

一部中新合作的歷史，就是一部人與人交流的歷史。

1972年，中國與新西蘭正式建交。中新兩國48年的交流歷程自此拉開帷幕。

1985年，剛從大學畢業(yè)的傅恩萊首度來到中國，她與中國之間的不解之緣開始悄然譜寫。

2020年，中國之發(fā)展日新月異，世界風云亦幾經(jīng)變幻。作為新西蘭駐華大使，傅恩萊的使命擁有了不同凡響的意義。

新西蘭駐華使館的“毛利會堂”里，各處裝飾著新西蘭獨特的毛利風格木雕。透過這些傳統(tǒng)且頗具生趣的木雕群落，似乎能觸摸到新西蘭原住民毛利人的文化。在這里，傅恩萊接受了《留學》雜志的專訪。站在時代的新起點上，傅恩萊講述了自己的“中國故事”，回顧了中新兩國人民締結友誼的歷程，也暢談了兩國教育領域合作的新氣象與未來可能。

“人”是締結兩國關系的重要紐帶

“世界上什么最重要？是人，是人，還是人?！备刀魅R說，這是毛利人流傳下來的一句諺語，意在強調人本身的重要性?！霸谥行聝蓢碾p邊關系當中，人與人的交流是一個非常重要的方面。”

傅恩萊與中國結緣的故事，正與中新兩國的教育交流歷程緊密編織、相互呼 應。

在擔任新西蘭駐華大使之前，傅恩萊曾多次來到中國，為中新兩國的文化交流新冠肺炎出了貢獻。1985年，傅恩萊來到西安外國語學院任教?；貞浧鹉嵌螘r光，她感慨道：“（任教）是一種非常簡單的生活，但給我留下了非常深刻的印象。老師們非常積極地從事教學工作，學生們也對學習抱有極大熱情，他們對于語言、文化的學習都有著非常濃厚的興趣?！?/p>

這一年，在中國短短幾十年的出國留學發(fā)展史上亦留下重要印記。就在1985年，中國提出“支持留學，鼓勵回國，來去自由”的出國留學方針，自此，自費留學開始興起。1985年底，中國的出國留學生總人數(shù)達到了3.8萬人，其中自費留學人數(shù)達到7000人。

1986—1988年，傅恩萊拿到獎學金，來到北京，開始了在北京語言學院和北京大學的學習歷程?！霸谖铱磥恚敃r的北京語言學院是學漢語非常棒的地方，我不僅接受到優(yōu)質的教學，而且因此更深刻地體驗、學習到中國的文化。后來在北京大學主修法律，讓我對中國的法律體系也增進了理 解?！?/p>

同一時期，中新兩國留學領域也發(fā)生了巨大改變。1998年6月，新西蘭政府宣布，增加中國自費赴新留學生名額至4000名;1999年10月，新西蘭取消對中國赴新留學生的名額限制。

在中國生活的許多年間，傅恩萊的身份多次轉換，游客、教師、學生、企業(yè)雇員、外交官、大使……不同的身份和環(huán)境使她對于中國有著不一樣的觀察角度，也讓她和中國之間的交流愈發(fā)深入?！半m然我做學生時從未預料到，我之后會以外交官的身份來華工作，但是當初我在華學習的這段經(jīng)歷，包括我在這里學習到的技能還有文化體驗，都指引著方向。今天，當我看到有這么多的年輕人都有機會出國留學的時候，我想對他們說，出國留學的經(jīng)歷，很可能對你們?nèi)松缆返陌l(fā)展產(chǎn)生非常深厚的影響?！?/p>

傅恩萊告訴《留學》記者，2019年有4萬名左右的中國學生赴新西蘭留學。對于中國和新西蘭來說，留學生是兩國文化的雙向代言人，從某種意義上，也是兩國文化交流的使者?！斑@些年輕的學生在留學時，把中國的文化帶到新西蘭，當他們完成學業(yè)，從新西蘭回到中國，又把在新西蘭體驗到的文化帶回中國，這種雙向的交流是非常有意義的?！?/p>

續(xù)寫百年文化交流故事

“路易·艾黎”們的新使命

“中新兩國正式建立外交關系已經(jīng)有48年的歷史，長久以來，兩國關系的核心之處，便是人與人的交流和往來，包括在文化領域?！备刀魅R強調道。她告訴《留學》記者，兩國之間更早的交流，可以追溯到新中國成立之前。“在中國與新西蘭之間的早期聯(lián)系中，有一位非常特殊的人物，他就是路易·艾黎?！?/p>

1927年，30歲的路易·艾黎來到中國上海。在中國，他發(fā)起并參加了中國工業(yè)合作社運動，還創(chuàng)辦了培黎工藝學校。這所“為黎明而培訓”的學校，為當時中國培養(yǎng)了數(shù)以千計亟需的技術人才。

新中國成立后，路易·艾黎致力于促進國際和平與友誼，他將自己在中國的所見所感記錄下來，出版了幾十部珍貴作品。為了更好地向世界介紹中國，路易·艾黎還翻譯了許多中國古代詩歌，將這些中國自古流傳的文化瑰寶傳至世界各地。

1987年，路易·艾黎在北京逝世，享年90歲。在中國生活的60年中，無論在國內(nèi)革命和抗戰(zhàn)的艱苦歲月里，還是在社會主義革命和建設時期，他總是同中國人民站在一起，將畢生獻給了中國人民的福祉，也因此受到中國人民的尊敬和愛戴?！奥芬住ぐ柙谥行聝蓢娜宋慕煌斨邪l(fā)揮了特殊作用，甚至是在兩國正式建立外交關系之前。”傅恩萊說。

在新時代，繼續(xù)發(fā)揚中新兩國的友誼與合作，則是更多“路易·艾黎”們的使命。近百年的文化交流故事，還將書寫新的篇章。

“三兄弟”二幫一

中新高等教育合作的亮點

自1972年中新建交以來，兩國之間人文交流持續(xù)推進。1974年，兩國開始互派留學人員;2002年，時任中國教育部副部長王湛訪問新西蘭，會見了時任新西蘭教育部長馬拉德，與新西蘭教育部秘書長范斯簽署《中新關于教育與培訓合作的諒解備忘錄》。自此，中新雙方的教育交流，從互派留學生層面拓展到教育領域的學校和項目合作。

傅恩萊告訴《留學》記者，在教育領域，中新兩國有著長期教育互惠合作，多年來建立的眾多合作項目也在長線開展。“作為大使，一般來說，我不應該對某個項目表示出特殊的喜愛?！备刀魅R微笑道，“但我還是想說，我對中新兩國開展的‘三兄弟合作項目視若珍寶。”

2000年以來，中國實施西部大開發(fā)戰(zhàn)略，積極發(fā)展西部地區(qū)高等教育。在中國教育部“對口支援西部高等學校計劃”的框架下，中國與新西蘭開展了許多合作項目。其中，新西蘭梅西大學、北京大學和新疆石河子大學簽署合作協(xié)議，聯(lián)合開展“綿羊非季節(jié)性產(chǎn)羔特性的基因標記研究”項目，由此開創(chuàng)中新兩國教育領域合作的典范——“三兄弟合作計劃”。

“三兄弟合作計劃”是指由一所新西蘭大學、一所中國發(fā)達地區(qū)重點大學以及一所中國中西部地區(qū)大學組成高端人才交流和科研合作項目，通過“三兄弟”合作關系達到“二幫一”的效果，從而提高中國中西部地區(qū)教學和科研水平。簽署了三校合作協(xié)議的學校，將在科研創(chuàng)新、項目研究等多方面開展合作，包括組織學術交流和教師、學生及科研人員的往來，以及在共同感興趣的科研和學術領域開展合作。

截至目前，“三兄弟合作項目”已經(jīng)開展了15年。多年的努力不僅讓兩國高校間的學術交流保持高頻往來，也有效提升了中國中西部地區(qū)高校的學術發(fā)展水平。該項目的學術研究課題也一直高度聚焦前沿話題，以科研為社會發(fā)展提供強大助力。2020年，獲得資助的五個“兄弟組合”的合作項目涉及數(shù)字教育、數(shù)字醫(yī)療、癌癥治療、能源儲備、語言學習等當前受到廣泛關注的重點領域。如今，“三兄弟合作項目”已成為中新高等教育合作的一大亮點，中新兩國的合作正擴大至更廣泛的領域。

傅恩萊高度肯定“三兄弟合作項目”的意義與成果，她表示，“15年來，我們非常自豪通過該項目與中國伙伴開展了高水平的研究。在當下，這樣的合作關系比以往任何時候都更加珍貴。盡管新冠肺炎疫情的暴發(fā)限制了旅行，但研究合作的腳步從未停止，學校采用了在線往來等替代方法，而我對于能夠見證這樣的持續(xù)進展感到非常高興。多年來，‘三兄弟合作項目結出了累累碩果，新西蘭和中國雙方都從中獲益匪 淺?！?/p>

“面向21世紀的教育”

職業(yè)教育合作方興未艾

從幼兒教育到高等教育，新西蘭優(yōu)質的教育資源和學生體驗一直聞名于世界，并且持續(xù)在各類國際排名上斬獲亮眼位 次。

作為中國學生的重要留學目的地，新西蘭憑借世界領先的教育體系、安全的社會環(huán)境和熱情友好的文化而備受青睞。在QS世界大學排名中，新西蘭的八所公立大學全部居于前500名。經(jīng)濟學人智庫2019年發(fā)布的《全球教育未來指數(shù)》排名顯示，在培育年輕人應對未來社會所需能力的整體表現(xiàn)中，新西蘭在所有英語國家中排名第一，在全球排名第三。

在新西蘭的教育體系中，“面向21世紀的教育”理念備受認可，即為21世紀培養(yǎng)年輕人，讓他們擁有面向21世紀的技能，能夠應對21世紀的挑戰(zhàn)?！霸谂囵B(yǎng)能夠應對未來挑戰(zhàn)的人才方面，新西蘭的教育體系是世界一流的?！备刀魅R表示。

中新兩國不斷加深的交流與合作既促進了人才培養(yǎng)，也為兩國經(jīng)濟和社會的持續(xù)發(fā)展提供了重要動力。除了傳統(tǒng)的高等教育領域之外，在職業(yè)技術教育培訓領域，中新雙方也有著進一步深化合作的空 間。

在職業(yè)技術教育培訓方面，中國和新西蘭一直以來有著良好的合作范例。2013年，中國教育部與新西蘭教育部在北京簽署兩國《關于確認和指導戰(zhàn)略性教育伙伴關系的安排》， 雙方同意啟動“中國-新西蘭職業(yè)教育與培訓合作示范項目”。近期，新西蘭在中國的西安和青島新設立了合作培訓中心。

“在過去的幾周，新西蘭駐華使館教育參贊李娜和中國教育部就未來進一步合作展開討論。在兩國的教育合作當中，有諸多領域可以進一步深化，其中也包括職業(yè)技術教育培訓。我們期待這個結果能給兩國在這個領域進一步開展合作提供更多的想法和方向。” 傅恩萊表示。

“姐妹城市”患難見真情

特殊時期難擋合作腳步

2020年初，受新冠肺炎疫情影響，中國部分地區(qū)出現(xiàn)了防疫物資告急的情況，新西蘭政府向湖北武漢捐贈了醫(yī)療物資，多個新西蘭城市也向中國姐妹城市表示了支持。早在39年前，新西蘭與中國結成第一對“姐妹城市”（黑斯廷斯市與桂林市）。經(jīng)過近半個世紀的發(fā)展，中新交往走過了令人難忘的旅程。如今，中新兩國“姐妹城市”在兩國各地開花，結出了友誼的碩果。在中新兩國的人文交流方面，“姐妹城市”起到了重要的助推作用。

疫情期間，全球的人文交往面臨著局限與挑戰(zhàn)。傅恩萊在采訪中表示，新西蘭和中國在抗擊疫情方面的成功，意味著邊境實施的管制措施的必要性?！澳壳皝碇v，不論是中國還是新西蘭對于入境都仍存在限制，但我們希望一旦流行病學條件允許，游客、留學生和訪問者們能夠恢復跨境流動，繼續(xù)進行面對面的人文交流?！?/p>

作為第一個與中國結束入世雙邊談判、承認中國完全市場經(jīng)濟地位且與中國簽署自由貿(mào)易協(xié)定的西方發(fā)達國家，新西蘭與中國經(jīng)貿(mào)往來密切且發(fā)展迅速。距離2008年兩國簽訂雙邊自由貿(mào)易協(xié)定已經(jīng)過去12年，雙邊自貿(mào)協(xié)定升級談判業(yè)已結束，中國已經(jīng)趕超澳大利亞成為新西蘭全球最大的貿(mào)易伙伴、最大的出口市場和最大的進口來源國，而新西蘭也成為了中國全球五大食品供應國之一。在中國與新西蘭貿(mào)易自由化的持續(xù)推動下，兩國的貿(mào)易關系還將進一步加深。

傅恩萊表示，新西蘭和中國在規(guī)模、歷史和法律體系方面都有著很大的不同，兩國能夠攜手在眾多領域開展互利互惠的合作是非常有意義的?！靶轮袃蓢炗喿再Q(mào)協(xié)定以來，雙向貿(mào)易額有了非常顯著的增長。2007年，兩國的貿(mào)易額大概是70億新元;到了2019年，兩國的雙向貿(mào)易額已經(jīng)達到320億新元的規(guī)模。2020年盡管發(fā)生了新冠疫情，新中兩國的貿(mào)易目前為止總體上保持相對平穩(wěn)的態(tài)勢?！?/p>

中新兩國間的交流和接觸不止在政府和政府間，也在城市和城市間、企業(yè)和企業(yè)間、人民和人民間。中新兩國始于人文交流的雙邊關系，也必將在人文交流、貿(mào)易合作和高層互訪的“保駕護航”之下順利推進。

“今天，當我看到有這么多的年輕人都有機會出國留學的時候，我想對他們說，出國留學的經(jīng)歷，將對你們?nèi)松缆返陌l(fā)展產(chǎn)生非常深厚的影響。”

拎客

“三兄弟合作計劃”涉及到的中新高校：

新西蘭的大學包括梅西大學、奧克蘭大學、奧克蘭理工大學、林肯大學、懷卡托大學等;

中國的重點大學包括北京大學、清華大學、浙江大學、復旦大學、上海交通大學、中國農(nóng)業(yè)大學等;

中國中西部地區(qū)大學包括新疆石河子大學、青海大學、內(nèi)蒙古大學、新疆大學、貴州大學、云南大學等。

48 Years of Diplomatic Relations between China and New Zealand：

Beginning with People， Growing with Culture Exchanges

————Interview with Clare Fearnley， the New Zealand Ambassador to China.

China and New Zealand have established diplomatic relations for 48 years， and the source of people-to-people exchanges can be traced back nearly 100 years. A history of China-New Zealand cooperation is a history of communication between people.

Journalist_Liu Weizhenping? Editor_Ru Yuanxin? Designer_Zhang Yu

In 1972， China and New Zealand officially established diplomatic relations. This marked the beginning of the 48-year exchange between China and New Zealand.

In 1985， Clare Fearnley came to China for the first time， and her indissoluble links with China began form.

As of 2020， Chinas development has been significant， so has been the world situation. As New Zealands Ambassador to China， Clare Fearnleys mission is of extraordinary significance.

He Pakiaka is a room at the New Zealand Embassy in China is decorated with New Zealands unique Māori wood carvings. Through these traditional wood carvings， it seems that you can touch the culture of the aboriginal New Zealanders， the Māori. In that hall， Clare Fearnley gave an exclusive interview with Studying Abroad Magazine. Standing at the point of a changing world， Clare Fearnley told her own “China story”， reviewed the friendship between the people of China and New Zealand， and talked freely about the atmosphere and future possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of education.

“People” are an important link in bilateral relations

“He aha te mea nui o te Ao？ Maku e kī atu， he tāngata， he tāngata， he tāngata （What is the most important thing in the world？ Its people， people， people），” Clare Fearnley said that this is a proverb handed down by Māori people， which is intended to emphasize the importance of people themselves. “In the bilateral relations between China and New Zealand， people-to-people exchanges are a very important aspect.”

The story of Clare Fearnleys connection with China is closely woven with educational exchange between China and New Zealand.

Before serving as New Zealands Ambassador to China， Clare Fearnley came to China many times， which contributed to cultural exchanges between China and New Zealand. In 1985， Clare Fearnley came to teach at Xian Foreign Studies University. Recalling that time， she said with emotion： “（teaching） is a very simple life， but it left a very deep impression on me. The teachers Ive worked with have been very committed to their profession， and the students have great enthusiasm for learning – with a strong interest in learning language and culture. “

That year also left an important mark on Chinas decades of history of studying abroad. In 1985， China put forward a policy of “supporting studying abroad， encouraging returning home， and coming and going freely”. Since then， self-sponsored studying abroad has started to rise. By the end of 1985， the total number of Chinese students studying abroad had reached to 38，000， of which 7，000 were self-sponsored.

From 1986 to 1988， Clare Fearnley won a scholarship and came to Beijing to begin her study at Beijing Language Institute and Peking University. “Beijing Language Institute at that time was a wonderful place to learn Mandarin. I not only received high-quality teaching， but also experienced and learned Chinese culture more deeply. Later， I studied law at Peking University， which helped me better understand the Chinese legal system of the time. ”

During the same period， great changes have taken place in the field of studying abroad between China and New Zealand. In June 1998， the New Zealand government announced that it would increase the number of self-sponsored Chinese students studying in New Zealand to 4，000; In October 1999， New Zealand lifted the quota limit for Chinese students studying in New Zealand.

During her many years of living in China， Clare Fearnleys role has changed many times：? she has been a tourist， teacher， student， businessperson， diplomat and ambassador……. Different identities and environments have given her different perspectives on China， and also made communications between her and China deeper and deeper. “Although I never expected when I was a student that I would work in China as a diplomat， the experience I had while studying in China， including the skills and cultural experiences I had here， pointed in that direction. Today， when I see that so many young people have the opportunity to study abroad， I want to tell them that the experience of studying abroad may well have a very profound impact on the paths they take in life. “

Clare Fearnley told Studying Abroad Magazine that about 40，000 Chinese students were studying in New Zealand in 2019. For China and New Zealand， international students are two-way spokespeople of their cultures and， in a sense， the messengers of cultural exchange. “When these young students study abroad， they bring Chinese culture to New Zealand. When they finish their studies， they return to China from New Zealand and bring the culture they experienced in New Zealand back to China. This two-way communication is very meaningful.”

Continuing to write a hundred-year cultural exchange story

The new mission of “Rewi Alley”

“China and New Zealand have had diplomatic relations for 48 years. People to people exchanges have been at the core of our links， including in the field of culture.” Clare Fearnley stressed. She told Studying Abroad Magazine that early exchanges between the two countries can be traced back before the establishment of the Peoples Republic. “In the early days， Rewi Alley played a very special role in contacts between China and New Zealand.”

In 1927， 30-year-old Rewi Alley came to Shanghai. In China， he initiated and participated in the Chinese industrial cooperative movement， and founded the Peili Vocational Institute. With the purpose of “training for the coming of the dawn”， the school trained thousands of urgently needed technical talent for China at that time.

After the establishment of the Peoples Republic， Rewi Alley devoted himself to promoting international peace and friendship. He recorded what he felt and saw in China and published dozens of works. In order to better introduce China to the world， Rewi Alley also translated many ancient Chinese poems， spreading these ancient Chinese cultural treasures around the world.

In 1987， Rewi Alley died in Beijing at the age of 90. During his 60 years in China， he always stood with the Chinese people and devoted his whole life to the wellbeing of the Chinese people..

“Rewi Alley played a special in the people-to-people exchanges between China and New Zealand， even before the formal establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.” Clare Fearnley said.

In the new era， it is the mission of more “Rewi Alleys” to continue to carry forward friendship and cooperation between China and New Zealand. A new chapter will be written on the story of cultural exchange over the past hundred years

Tripartite Partnership

The Highlight of Sino- New Zealand Higher Education Cooperation

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972， person-to-person exchanges between the two countries have been continuously advanced. In 1974， the two countries began to exchange students studying abroad; In 2002， Wang Zhan， then Vice Minister of Education of China， visited New Zealand， met with Trevor Mallard， then Minister of Education of New Zealand， and signed with Howard Fancy， Secretary-General of Ministry of Education on the China-New Zealand MOU on Cooperation in Education. Since then， the educational exchanges between China and New Zealand have expanded from the exchange of international students to the cooperation of schools and projects in the field of education.

Clare Fearnley told Studying Abroad Magazine that China and New Zealand have long-term mutually beneficial cooperation in education， and many projects being established over the years “As an ambassador， generally speaking， I avoid ‘picking favourites，” Clare Fearnley smiled，” But I admit that I regard the Tripartite Partnership programme between China and New Zealand to be something of a treasure.”

Since 2000， China has implemented its western development strategy and actively developed higher education in the western regions. Under the framework of the “Counterpart Support Programme for Western Colleges and Universities” by the Ministry of Education of China， there have been many joint projects between China and New Zealand.? For example， Massey University， Peking University and Shihezi University signed a cooperation agreement to jointly carry out a project on examining the genetics of why some sheep breed all year round and others dont， which initiated a model of educational cooperation between China and New Zealand——Tripartite Partnership.

The Tripartite Partnership refers to a high-end talent exchange and scientific research cooperation project consisting of a New Zealand university， a key university in developed regions of China and a university in the central and western regions of China. Through the Tripartite Partnership programme， the resources of the two universities improve the teaching and scientific research level in the central and western regions of China. Schools joining in the Tripartite Partnership programme will carry out cooperation in? scientific research innovation， project-based research and many other aspects. The cooperation also includes fosters academic exchange and mobility for teachers， students and researchers and the initiation of scientific research and academic collaboration in the fields of common interest.

Up to now， the Tripartite Partnership programme has been carried out for 15 years. Years of efforts have not only kept academic exchanges between universities in the two countries at a high frequency， but also effectively improved the academic ability of universities in the central and western regions of China. The academic research topics of the programme have always highly focused on cutting-edge research and these scientific research projects provide powerful support to the social development. In 2020， the cooperation projects funded by the Tripartite Partnership programme focus on several important areas which are widely concerned present issues， including digital education， digital medical treatment， cancer treatment， energy reservation and language learning. Today， the Tripartite Partnership programme has become a highlight of Sino-New Zealand higher education cooperation， and the cooperation between China and New Zealand expands to a wider range of fields.

Clare Fearnley recognized the significance and achievements of the Tripartite Partnership programme， saying that “we are proud to see high-quality research taking place with Chinese partners through our Tripartite Partnership programme， over the 15 years since it was established. Now， more than ever， these relationships have proven invaluable as research collaborations continue despite travel restrictions. I am pleased to see how our Tripartite Partnerships have flourished， moving quickly to alternative approaches and online mobility during the COIVD-19 pandemic. Over the years， we have seen the tangible results as both New Zealand and China benefit from the joint research conducted.”

“Education for the 21st Century”

Vocational education cooperation is ascendant

From early childhood to tertiary education， New Zealands high-quality education offering， and student experience have long been well-known in the world， and it has continuously placed highly in various international rankings.

As an important destination for Chinese students to study abroad， New Zealand is favored by its world-leading education system， safe social environment and warm and friendly culture. In the QS World University Rankings， New Zealands all eight public? universities are among the top 500 institutions. The Economist Intelligence Units Worldwide Educating for the Future Index in 2019 shows that New Zealand ranks first among English-speaking countries and amongst the top three countries in the world in the overall performance of cultivating young peoples ability for the future society.

In New Zealands education system， the concept of “21st-century-oriented education” is widely recognized， which is to train young people for the 21st century， so that they can have 21st-century-oriented skills and meet the challenges of the 21st century. “In terms of cultivating talent who can meet future challenges， New Zealands education system is world class，” Clare Fearnley said.

The deepening of exchanges and cooperation between China and New Zealand have not only promoted the cultivation of talent， but also provided an important driving force for the sustained economic and social development of the two countries. In addition to the long-term cooperation in higher education， there is room for further cooperation between China and New Zealand in the field of vocational education and training.

In terms of vocational education and training， China and New Zealand have already generated many positive cooperation examples. In 2013， the Ministry of Education of China and the Ministry of Education of New Zealand signed a Strategic Education Partnership Agreement in Beijing， and both sides agreed to launch the Sino-New Zealand Vocational Education and Training Model Programme. Since then， New Zealand has collaboratively set up training centers in Xian and Qingdao.

“In the past few weeks， Miranda Herbert， Education Counselor at the New Zealand Embassy in China with the Ministry of Education of China to discuss future cooperation between the two countries.? There are many fields that can be further deepened， including vocational education and training. We hope that the discussion will provide more ideas and directions for further engagement between the two countries in this field， ”Clare Fearnley said.

Sister cities support one another through hardship

The pace of cooperation will never stop even in special period.

At the beginning of 2020， affected by COVID-19， epidemic prevention materials were in urgent need in some areas of China. New Zealand government donated medical supplies to Wuhan. A number of New Zealand cities have expressed support to their Chinese sister cities. As early as 39 years ago， New Zealand and China formed their first pair of twin cities—Hastings and Guilin. After nearly half a century of development， Sino-New Zealand exchanges have gone through an unforgettable journey. Nowadays， the sister cities between China and New Zealand have blossomed across the two countries， bearing fruit of friendship. Sister cities have boosted cultural exchanges between China and New Zealand.

During the epidemic period， global cultural exchanges faced limitations and challenges. In the interview， Clare Fearnley said that the success of New Zealand and China in fighting the epidemic situation reflects the necessity of the border control measures. “At present， both China and New Zealand still have restrictions on entry， but we hope that once epidemiological conditions permit， tourists， international students and visitors can begin to move across borders again and continue face-to-face cultural exchanges.”

As the first western developed country to conclude bilateral negotiations with China on WTO accession， recognize Chinas full market economy status and sign a free trade agreement with China， New Zealand has established close and rapid economic and trade exchanges with China. It has been 12 years since the two countries signed a bilateral free trade agreement in 2008 and negotiations for an upgrade of the Agreement have concluded. China has surpassed Australia to become New Zealands largest trading partner， largest export market and largest source of imports in the world， while New Zealand has also become one of Chinas top five food suppliers in the world. With the continuous promotion of trade liberalization between China and New Zealand， the trade relations between the two countries will be further strengthened.

Clare Fearnley said that New Zealand and China are very different in terms of scale， history and legal system， and it is of significance that two countries with such differences can work together to carry out mutually beneficial cooperation in a range of fields. “Since the signing of the FTA between China and New Zealand， the two-way trade volume has increased significantly. In 2007， the trade volume between the two countries was about NZD7 billion; By 2019， the bilateral trade volume reached NZD32 billion. So far in 2020， despite the COVID epidemic， trade between New Zealand and China has over-all remained relatively stable.”

The exchanges and contacts between China and New Zealand are not only between governments， but also between cities， enterprises and people. The bilateral relations between China and New Zealand began with people-to-people exchanges， and they will also be further advanced smoothly through people to people exchanges as well as trade cooperation and high-level visits.