SYDNEY (Reuters) – Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Friday New Zealand will require continued engagement with China, its largest trading partner, but would disagree with Beijing in areas where it challenges New Zealand’s national interests.
“A strong, mature and complex relationship means we will have those tough conversations … but I think it’s better to be talking than not,” Hipkins said in a speech at the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Alasdair Pal)
