New Zealand-China partnership forum could move to 2013 (4)

The council would also promote Chinese investment in New Zealand, which was in need of "enormous amounts of investment."

After the controversy this year surrounding Shanghai Pengxin's purchase of 16 North Island dairy farms, which led to calls for tighter controls on foreign ownership of productive farmland, the council realized that there was a requirement to "explain these things better," said McKinnon.

Prime Minister John Key launched the "NZ Inc China Strategy" in February with the aim to double two-way trade with China to 20 billion NZ dollars (16.33 billion U.S. dollars) by 2015, a goal agreed with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in 2010.

New Zealand was the first developed economy to have free trade agreement in place with China, signed in 2008.

Recommended Features: [Special]'Made in China' Revisited From 'Made in China' to 'Created in China' A Journey to Cultural Renaissance Gold collection issued to mark 'Year of Snake' China: A Fast-growing Force in IPR 13th Int'l Automobile Industry Exhibition China Int'l Industry Fair opens in Shanghai Caofeidian coal wharf put into use Canton Fair wraps up on Sunday