New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key is today scheduled to kick off his 6-day trip in China, with some of his cabinet colleagues as well as business leaders. Key, accompanied by his Trade Minister and Primary Industries Minister, will seek to upgrade the free trade agreement New Zealand has with China.

Key is also set to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing. Following that, he will visit Xi'an, capital of western China’s Shaannxi province, and Shanghai as well. This month marks eight years since the FTA between the two countries was signed.

Since then, two-way trade has more than doubled, reaching almost US$13 billion. Besides his trade agenda in China, Mr Key will also address students at Tsinghua University, meet Chinese business leaders and attend the launch of the New Zealand Film Festival in Shanghai.