On April 5, 2012, Vice Premier Li Keqiang met with visiting Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully in Ziguangge, Zhongnanhai.

Li said this year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and New Zealand. Li spoke highly of the "substantial development" of ties over the past four decades, citing frequent exchanges at top and other levels, increasing mutual trust, fruitful cooperation in areas including trade, culture, education, technology and tourism, and sound coordination on regional and international affairs. The bilateral relations are in their best ever period, Li said.

Li pointed out that the current international situation continues to undergo profound and complicated changes. He said that the two countries, both major nations in the Asia-Pacific region, share common interests in maintaining and promoting regional stability and development and dealing with global challenges. He urged both sides to take the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties as a new starting point to further enhance political mutual trust, deepen pragmatic cooperation, expand humanities exchanges and conduct closer multilateral coordination, so as to make the relationship an example of peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation for countries with different histories, cultures and social systems and at different stages of development.

McCully hailed the great potential for further progress in the ties and expressed the importance New Zealand attaches to relations with China. He said New Zealand will strengthen exchanges with China at all levels so as to push bilateral ties to a new level.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi attended the meeting.