BEIJING -  China and New Zealand on Monday pledged to continue to promote ties and step up bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially in trade.

In his meeting with visiting New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Bill English,  Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping expressed appreciation for the growth of bilateral relations, calling on both nations to better fulfill common obligations and safeguard shared interests by establishing closer coordination in addressing regional peace and stability, economic development and global challenges.

At the meeting between Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang and English, both sides exchanged views on bilateral cooperation and highlighted  shared interests on regional and international issues, according to a press release issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Li praised the recent growth of China-New Zealand relations, noting that bilateral cooperation has reached a higher level in various fields, especially in two-way trade.

China always handles ties with New Zealand with a strategic and long-term perspective. The two countries, which are both significant players in the Asia-Pacific region, share comprehensive common interests and mutual benefits, Li said.

He proposed that the two nations maintain high-level political exchanges and step up trade cooperation to double the trade volume by 2015.

Additionally, both countries should respect the other's vital interests, take key concerns into consideration and expand mutual understanding by fortifying exchanges in terms of culture, education, science, technology, and tourism, Li added.

New Zealand's Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China caused the total trade between the countries to jump by more than a third in its first two years.

Echoing Li's views on bilateral relations, English expressed New Zealand's hope of working with China to promote the implementation of the FTA between the two nations and further expand mutual investment.

He also said that New Zealand would unswervingly uphold the one-China policy.

The two sides also exchanged views on UN reform, the international monetary system and regional economic cooperation, according to the press release.

English arrived in China on Saturday as a guest of Vice Premier Li Keqiang.  Prior to his trip to Beijing, English attended the annual Boao Forum for Asia in China's southernmost island province of Hainan.

He will host a business breakfast and an investors' luncheon in Shanghai before returning to New Zealand on April 20.