Chinese, U.S., New Zealand city leaders to pioneer new economic links

Around 600 business leaders from China, the United States and New Zealand will gather in Auckland next week as part of a new municipal alliance between the three countries.

The summit of the Tripartite Economic Alliance in Auckland aims to set a new standard for how modern cities could engage and collaborate, said Auckland city Mayor Len Brown on Wednesday.

In November 2014, the mayors of Auckland, Guangzhou and Los Angeles signed the world-first Tripartite Economic Alliance agreement, and began working together to enhance trade and economic relations.

Senior political representatives, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Li Xiaolin, Guangzhou Vice Mayor Wang Dong, and New Zealand government ministers, would attend the summit on May 16 and 17.

A feature of the Auckland summit is that visiting and local businesses are included, with significant emphasis on business matching, so all participants come out of the summit with connections and opportunities to expand, Brown said in a statement.

Among the speakers would be former Nike Innovation expert, Dr Erez Morag, founder of Acceler8 Performance, and Professor Xue-Feng Yuan, a former director of the National Supercomputer Centre in Guangzhou and dean at Sun Yat-Sen University.

"The fact the Auckland summit has attracted these and other highly respected international guests is good news for Auckland and its bright business future," Len Brown said. Endit