“I look forward to us to continuing to build on our partnership and our friendship,” Luxon told Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum in Lima, in remarks broadcast on the website of Radio New Zealand on Saturday.

Xi said through a translator: “China is ready to work with your government to create more firsts for our relations.”

Luxon, a former airline executive, said he had visited China many times and understood it well, but the meeting was the first for Xi and Luxon, RNZ reported. Luxon’s centre-right National Party formed a government in October last year.

In June, New Zealand and China signed agreements on trade and climate change, during a trip by Chinese premier Li Qiang to New Zealand, the highest level Chinese visit to the Pacific island nation in seven years.

China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade totalling nearly NZ$38 billion (US$23.3 billion).

New Zealand’s foreign minister has called the bilateral relationship “complex”, citing differences of opinion on issues such as Taiwan and the treatment of Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang region.