New Zealand will work with China in upholding the multilateral trading system and rule-based free trade amid rising protectionism, the country’s new ambassador to Beijing, Clare Fearnley, said.

"We hear more voices questioning the benefits of economic integration and the rules-based trading system," Fearnley told China Daily in her first interview with Chinese media. "We are a trading nation and want to see our region stable, prosperous and economically integrated." 

New Zealand attaches great importance to the role China plays globally and the priority placed by China's leadership on supporting an internationally open trading system, the ambassador said.

New Zealand is also dedicated to breaking down trade and other economic barriers by participating in regional cooperation mechanisms, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Fearnley said she hopes to see a high-quality RCEP agreement reached as a further pathway to increase economic integration.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up and the 10th anniversary of the free trade agreement between the two countries.

The ambassador had rich learning and working experiences in China and East Asia. "When I look at the changes in daily life and the living standards of ordinary people, I don't think that my Chinese friends and I could have imagined in the 1980s what has been achieved in today’s China," she said.

Changes in China over the last 40 years were overwhelming, and these changes had roots in the reform and opening policy framed in 1978, Fearnley said.

China's recent announcements to further open up offer new opportunities in areas such as the service sector, and cooperation in science and technology, she said.

New Zealand was the first developed economy to recognize China's market economy status in 2004 and sign a free trade agreement with China in 2008, said the Ministry of Commerce. Bilateral trade has tripled since 2007 from around $8 billion back then to more than $26 billion last year. 

The agreement has been in place for 10 years to benefit both sides, and there is a lot more both countries can do in the service sector and new areas like e-commerce, Fearnley said.

The fourth round of negotiations on upgrading the agreement will take place in Beijing in two weeks, the ambassador said, adding that New Zealand hopes to conclude a high-quality upgrade soon.

Fearnley said China is aiming for a prosperous, populated, beautiful rural economy and society in the future. New Zealand, as a developed economy, has built its prosperity on the primary sector and environment-based services such as tourism.

Without a productive and beautiful rural environment, the Oceania country won't be able to maintain high living standards, Fearnley said. She said her country’s experiences can be shared with China in how to maintain a prosperous rural economy and preserve the beauty of the country.

Meanwhile, the two countries are promoting cooperation under the framework of Belt and Road Initiative after they signed a memorandum of understanding in March last year.

At the China Business Summit in early May, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said China is one of the most important and far-reaching international relationships for her country.

Ardern has received an invitation from the Chinese leadership and her visit will take place possibly this year, Fearnley said, adding that details are still being worked out.