Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday visited Canterbury University to open the second Confucius Institute in New Zealand.
Li said during the opening ceremony that cultural and educational cooperation are important parts of relations between China and New Zealand.
China has become the largest source of overseas students and the fastest growing source of international tourists to New Zealand, while people in New Zealand are taking a strong interest in studying the Chinese language and getting acquainted with Chinese culture, he said.
The new Confucius Institute, jointly founded by Canterbury University and China's Huazhong Science and Technology University, represents another achievement of the exchanges and cooperation between the two nations, Li said.
He said he hoped the institute would become a link between the two countries in cultural and educational exchanges.
China and New Zealand have become good friends and partners based on mutual respect and trust, he said.
He said he believed the two countries will further strengthen communications, enhance mutual trust, consolidate their traditional friendship and push their bilateral relations to a newlevel.
Xinhua
