Yang Jian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeYang Jian: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 16 April 2013. Volume:689;Page:9350. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.Dr JIAN YANG (National) to theMinister for Economic Development: How is the Government recognising the importance of China for New Zealand’s trade education and tourism sectors?Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Economic Development): Last week the Prime Minister led the largest-ever New Zealand business delegation to China. New Zealand’s economic prosperity is highly dependent on our ability to form and maintain strong links with other countries. This trip was particularly important for encouraging and facilitating more growth in our trade tourism and international education exports with China. Total two-way goods trade with China now totals $14.6 billion and greater investment developing between our two economies means we are broadly on track to meet the target that the Prime Minister and Premier Wen set in 2010 of doubling the two-way trade to NZ$20 billion by the end of 2015. This target was reconfirmed between the Prime Minister and President Xi Jinping during the successful China visit last week.Dr Jian Yang: What progress was made on furthering New Zealand - China education partnerships during the trip to China?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Around 24000 Chinese students come to New Zealand schools and tertiary institutions every year making China our largest source of international students. While in Beijing last week I signed a strategic education partnership with China’s education Minister which will build on the existing positive relationship between the two countries through supporting more educational institutional partnerships. As part of that partnership I witnessed the vocational trainingprogramme arrangement between Wintec and Qingdao Technical College and Tianjin Light Industry Vocational and Technical College. I also witnessed the Waikato University and Sun Yat-Sen University memorandum of understanding the New Zealand Little Schools and Wuxi local government memorandum of understanding the launch of a Gibson Group documentary on Chinese student experiences in New Zealand and I had the pleasure of launching the first Chinese language version of the New Zealand children’s classicHairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy.Dr Jian Yang: What announcements were made during the trip to China to make it easier for Chinese tourists and business people to visit New Zealand?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: China is now New Zealand’s second-largest source of visitors and we are committed to ensuring they enjoy a top-quality tourism experience. The number of Chinese tourists to New Zealand is growing rapidly—for the first time exceeding 200000 in the year to February 2013. That is up nearly 40 percent year on year. A new bilingual Chinese section of the Immigration Service website is making it easier for visitors to lodge visa applications. While in China last week the Prime Minister announced that to make it easier for Chinese tourists to visit New Zealand from 1 May this year the Government will extend multiple-entry visitor visas that are routinely granted to independent Chinese travellers to 24 months. He also announced a new 3-year multiple-entry business visa which will lower the cost of travel for frequent business travellers and make it easier for them to move between the two countries.Dr Jian Yang: What else is the Government doing to encourage growth in international tourism?Hon STEVEN JOYCE: Today the Prime Minister announced that this year’s Budget will see significant investment in areas that encourage international growth. As part of this package the Government will invest an additional $158 million over 4 years in tourism marketing and promotion. Achieving growth in tourism earnings requires targeted new investment to position New Zealand as a high-value destination in markets that have real potential for growth like China. The Prime Minister will release exact details of the new investment later in the week. People to people links whether they be as a result of tourism education cultural exchanges or doing business are crucial for building understanding and lifting economic cooperation between countries to create more jobs and growth in this country.