Economic reform is very much on the agenda in China, and New Zealand should seize the opportunities this presents, Treasury Secretary Gabriel Maklouf says.
Mr Maklouf was in China recently, visiting a host of bodies including the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the International Monetary Fund and the People's Bank of China.
The reforms China was pursuing included liberalising the financial services sector and making access easier for foreign companies wanting to invest in China.
"Nobody was actually questioning 'will reform happen'. It was all a question of 'how much reform will happen and when will it happen'," Mr Maklouf said.
"There's a real focus on economic reform happening and the announcement which the Chinese government made just a couple of days ago about the Shanghai free trade zone, that actually is all about economic reform."
Mr Maklouf had heard from all his interlocutors that they were going to use this free trade zone as a place where to pilot reforms in significant areas of the economy, and New Zealand should seize the chance to be involved, he said.
