An authority on agribusiness thinks the Government's new China strategy will be useful if it encourages New Zealand to adopt a more integrated approach in its trade with China.
The Prime Minister launched the strategy last week which aims to double New Zealand's two-way trade with China to $20 billion by 2015.
It includes increasing bilaterial investment, science and technology collaboration and growing trade in areas such as education and tourism.
Lincoln University's professor of farm management and agribusiness, Keith Woodford, has been a regular visitor to China for 40 years.
He says there's been phenomonal growth in agribusiness exports to China, but it's still unco-ordinated at this end.
Professor Woodford says as well as dairy, horticulture and wine, there is great potential to expand the lamb trade to China.
In recognition of the growing importance of China, he says Lincoln has appointed a new agribusiness lecturer from that country and a recently retired China specialist from Otago University, Dr Malcolm Cone, has also joined Lincoln as a research associate.
