New Zealand traders need to become more active and engaged in trading with China, according to the head of the New Zealand China Trade Association (NZCTA).
NZCTA chairman Stuart Ferguson dismissed perceptions that China was a "difficult" place to do business.
"The future is clearly written on the wall we have to trade with China and it's a good place to trade so long as you understand that it's not New Zealand you're dealing with," Ferguson told Xinhua ahead of the biennial NZCTA China trade awards in Auckland Thursday.
"A lot of the mythology about the difficulties of dealing with China is just that mythology. It's no different from dealing with many other places where there are differences in custom and language," said Ferguson.
"China is a market for our consumer durables and expendables and intellectual property and it has been increasing in value and breadth. The future for NZ in China is fantastic," said Ferguson, who was general manager and a director of COSCO New Zealand, a branch of the Chinese shipping giant, for 22 years.
"Trade with China is sound and strong. The free trade agreement has assisted that."
However, it was important for New Zealand businesses to seek good advice before entering China, even if they had to pay for it, Ferguson said.
"The more mature we become as traders and engagers with China, the better off we will be."
The NZCTA, which was founded in 1981 by New Zealand entrepreneurs seeking to expand trade links to China, was stronger than it had ever been with more than 200 members, he said.
"The event on Thursday is the biennial event that celebrates success in China in terms of the bilateral commercial relationship. This year is the best year we've had in terms of the numbers and caliber of the applicants. We should see about 350 people taking part, up from about 250 to 280 last time," he told Xinhua.
"A lot of applicants are from one-man bands, several from big corporations and some small and medium-sized enterprises."
The New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2008. According to New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, bilateral trade in the first year rose by 23 percent to exceed 10 billion NZ dollars (7.92 billion U.S. dollars), with New Zealand exports up almost 60 percent to 3.5 billion NZ dollars.
New Zealand's exports to China have traditionally been primary sector products such as wool, dairy products, meat, seafood and wood, but sales of high-tech products have been growing in recent years./.