Chris Hipkins has confirmed the schedule for his upcoming visit to China, including a sit-down with Xi Jinping - following in the footsteps of a senior US politician who has met the Chinese leader in a bid to cool tensions
A "candid and in-depth" meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese president Xi Jinping has sparked hopes of an improvement in US-China tensions, just days out from Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' own sit-down with Xi during a week-long visit to the Asian superpower.
Hipkins confirmed the details of his itinerary - including a meeting with China's ruler - several hours before Blinken and Xi sat down at Beijing's Great Hall of the People to conclude a closely-watched visit by America's top diplomat at a time of growing disagreements between the two nations.
Blinken had met Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and top foreign policy official Wang Yi earlier in his trip, with the Xi meeting confirmed at the last minute.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Blinken reportedly said he had emphasised "direct engagement and sustained communication at senior levels is the best way to responsibly manage our differences and ensure competition does not veer into conflict", a message that had been echoed by Xi.
However, the Washington Post reported US officials had failed in a bid to reopen communication channels between the two militaries, despite the risks of an accidental collision spiralling into a wider conflict.
In a readout of the meeting published by China's foreign ministry, Xi was reported as saying the world needed "a generally stable US-China relationship".
"Whether the two countries can find the right way to get along bears on the future and destiny of humanity. Planet Earth is big enough to accommodate the respective development and common prosperity of China and the United States."
Earlier on Monday (NZ time), Hipkins confirmed a meeting with Xi would be part of his schedule on a three-city tour spanning Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin with 29 trade representatives from a range of sectors.
In addition to his time with Xi, the Prime Minister will also meet new Chinese premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O'Connor and Tourism Minister Peeni Henare will both travel to China with Hipkins, placing further emphasis on the strongest areas of the bilateral relationship rather than more difficult issues like human rights and security.
Speaking to media on Monday afternoon, Hipkins said his meeting with Xi would be "an opportunity for me to underscore the importance of the New Zealand - China relationship".
