12. MELISSA LEE (National) Link to this
to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology
What results have been achieved to date by the recent ICT trade delegation he led to China?
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister for Communications and Information Technology) Link to this
Many of the companies that participated in the delegation are following up very strong leads facilitated by their meetings last week with some of China’s largest information and communications technology firms. For example, Tomizone is looking to increase its roll-out of Wi-Fi hotspots in two Chinese cities, Datacom is looking to develop service centres for new Chinese customers, and Mobile Mentor is negotiating with China Unicom to provide training in the use of new smart phones. The delegation facilitated introductions between New Zealand firms and some of the largest information and communications technology providers in the world. Deals that could result would bring millions of dollars of value into the New Zealand economy and would demonstrate our firms’ abilities to compete in the world’s fastest-growing information and communications technology market.
What feedback has he received from companies who participated in the recent information and communications technology trade delegation to China?
All participants greatly valued participating in the delegation and the reception they were given by their Chinese counterparts. Thanks to the excellent work by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade they were given high-level access to executives in large companies. Opening doors to some of China’s largest information and communications technology firms is not easy, but the New Zealand firms have demonstrated their preparedness and have impressed their Chinese colleagues. This was the sixth such delegation to China this year, which underlines the Government’s determination to continue to grow our trade and orient New Zealand to the export-led growth that we need to both grow the country faster and create more jobs.