Home Updates Interesting Articles People-to-peo...

People-to-people diplomacy celebrated in Shanghai Daily

105
'People-to-people diplomacy' and the role of Rewi Alley in forging the NZ-China relationship
‘People-to-people diplomacy’ and the role of Rewi Alley in forging the NZ-China relationship

2022 has been a busy year for the New Zealand China Friendship Society. Not only was it the 125th year since Rewi Alley was born, the 80th year of the founding of the Shandan Bailie School,  and the 70th year since the Society was founded, it was also the 50th year since diplomatic relations were established between New Zealand and the People’s Republic of China.

On December 22nd, the anniversary of the day the joint communiqué was signed by the New Zealand and the Chinese Permanent Representatives in New York, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with New Zealand’s Governor-General Cindy Kiro and Premier Li Keqiang exchanged similar congratulatory messages with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

On the same day, the English language Shanghai Daily published a special supplement to mark the 50th anniversary, including an interview with former NZ Prime Minister Sir John Key. The supplement included a quick guide to New Zealand and interesting facts about the country and the Kiwi lifestyle.

Subscribers to the paper can download a PDF of the full supplement from the Shine.cn website.

On pages two and three of the supplement, readers were reminded that the ground work for diplomatic recognition between the two countries had been laid over the previous 20 years by Rewi Alley and his helpers in China and New Zealand. Alongside business- and government-level celebrations, the supplement acknowledges the importance of people-to-people interactions in world affairs.