On October 25, 2003, President Hu Jintao met with New Zealand Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright at the latter's official residence in Wellington, New Zealand.

Hu said that China-New Zealand relations have made satisfactory progress in recent years, with frequent top-level exchanges of visits and enhanced cooperation in the fields of trade and economic relations, education, tourism, and science and technology. 

Hu said that reviewing the development of bilateral ties since the two countries established diplomatic relations 31 years ago, we found that the important foundation and guidelines for our relations are mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, and seeking common ground while reserving differences so as to achieve common development. China's new leadership has attached great importance to the China-New Zealand relations and hopes to further promote the bilateral ties in an all-round and in-depth manner. He believed that through his visit both sides would deepen mutual understanding and expand common ground with a view to elevating their friendly cooperation of mutual benefit to a higher level. 

Cartwright said the Chinese culture brought to the country by Chinese immigrants since the early 19th century has become an important part of the social culture and daily life of New Zealand. Over the past 31 years since the two countries forged diplomatic ties, the fields of their cooperation have been expanding, playing a positive role in each other's development. New Zealand is willing to jointly work with China to further develop the friendly cooperation as well as the friendship between the two peoples.

On the same night, Cartwright held a welcoming banquet for Hu and his wife.