One of China’s top political figures to visit Chch

China's top legislator is expected to land in Auckland this week for a three-day visit to New Zealand.

Zhao Leji, chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, is expected to meet Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in the country's largest city on Thursday morning before flying to Wellington to meet his New Zealand counterpart, Speaker Gerry Brownlee.

China's third most powerful political figure is then expected to unveil a plaque at the opening ceremony of the Rewi Alley Memorial Museum in Christchurch on Friday.

Rewi Alley was a New Zealand-born writer and political activist.

Alley, who died in 1987, was also a member of the Chinese Communist Party and a key figure in the establishment of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives and technical training schools, including the Bailie Schools and Peili Vocational Institute (now Beijing Bailie University), which were named after his mentor Joseph Bailie.

Alley was a prolific writer about 20th-century China, especially the communist revolution. He also translated numerous Chinese poems.

After visiting Christchurch, Zhao is expected to travel to Australia to meet his Australian counterparts, Speaker of the Senate Sue Lines and Speaker of the House of Representatives Milton Dick.

Luxon met Zhao in Beijing earlier this year during the prime minister's whirlwind visit to China in June to strengthen ties in trade, tourism and education.

China is New Zealand's largest trading partner, with imports totalling $17.41 billion and exports totalling $20.85 billion for the year ending December 2024, according to latest figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

China is also New Zealand's largest source of international students and third-largest tourism market, but numbers are still not back at pre-pandemic levels.