Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday for the first state visit in New Zealand by a Chinese president since 2003.
At the press conference held immediately following his arrival, Xi gave a message of assurance to New Zealand businesses wanting to sell goods in China.
He told them: "Worries that New Zealand does not have a market for its products in China are totally unnecessary. On the contrary, New Zealand will have to worry about the fact that there is more Chinese demand than you can possibly supply."
China is currently New Zealand's largest trading partner. The two countries have signed a free trade agreement in 2003 during then President Hu Jintao's state visit. In fact, New Zealand was the first developed country to reach a free trade agreement with China. Bilateral trade between the two countries is now expected to reach $20 billion this year.
On Thursday, Xi and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key with Governor-General Jerry Mateparae got together for a state luncheon at Wellington's Government House, where the Chinese president was welcomed with a 21-gun salute.
They later conducted a bilateral meeting which saw the signing of a series of agreements, ranging from mutual recognition of academic qualifications to cooperation on food traceability, to climate change, the Antarctic, TV production, education, tourism, telecommunications, food security, finance and agriculture.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Xi's itinerary for Thursday also included attending the launching ceremony for the China-New Zealand mayoral forum and an agricultural technology exhibition.
Prime Minister Key, who referred to New Zealand's relationship with China as a "strategic partnership," told reporters that investment had gone both ways.
He said: "My view is we've got a lot of room to move yet before we feel anywhere near uncomfortable, but it's important that we channel investment in areas that New Zealanders are comfortable with."
Xi previously visited New Zealand in 2010 when he was vice president.
On Friday, Xi is scheduled to return to Auckland for a meeting with the NZ China Council, attend a food and beverage showcase lunch and visit the New Zealand Bloodstock facility at Karaka, according to the New Zealand Herald.