Tokyo | Chinese President Xi Jinping said he attached “great importance” to China’s relationship with New Zealand as he rolled out the red carpet for Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who is juggling pressure to join a US-led pushback against Beijing while expanding trade opportunities.

Chinese state media praised New Zealand’s “proactive diplomacy” in the lead-up to the meeting, a reference to Auckland’s reluctance to join Australia and other Five Eye nations directly criticising Beijing’s human rights record.