WELLINGTON, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's next ambassador to China said Friday he will have a full agenda in building the partnership between the two countries after Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit last week.

Ambassador designate John McKinnon told Xinhua that Xi's visit, the first by a Chinese president since 2003, had helped forge many new and various fields of discussion and cooperation between the two nations.

"The areas of discussion between the two countries are many and various, as the range of agreements witnessed in Wellington and Auckland demonstrated, including on topics such as Antarctica and climate change," McKinnon said in an e-mail interview.

"As important was the emphasis both sides placed on bringing new areas of activity into the relationship, whether environmental management or television productions, and taking steps to facilitate movement by individuals to and from the two countries."

The "new level of ambition" was encapsulated in the " comprehensive strategic partnership" that the two sides agreed, a characterization that China used to describe its relationship with key partners.

New Zealand's role as a high-tech and agricultural technology partner, a provider of quality goods and services and an attractive tourist destination were all on display throughout the visit, McKinnon said.

"President Xi Jinping readily assured his New Zealand audience that the conclusion of an FTA (free trade agreement) between Australia and China would not be to New Zealand's disadvantage. Indeed he even quipped that the challenge for New Zealand would be supplying the huge and growing Chinese market," said McKinnon.

"The two countries are very different in culture, politics and natural endowments, as both sides recognized. The relationship is built on mutual respect, a willingness to address issues such as human rights frankly, and a common desire to identify and develop its potential further," he said.

"The agenda for the future of the relationship is already very full."

McKinnon, who was ambassador to China from 2001 to 2004, was named in May as New Zealand's next representative in Beijing.

Before accepting the new posting, McKinnon was the executive director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation and was previously Secretary of Defence.

McKinnon will take up his role at the beginning of 2015 and will also be accredited to Mongolia.

In an interview with Xinhua in March last year, McKinnon said New Zealanders needed to develop greater personal contacts with Asian cultures and communities in order to increase their understanding of the continent and its significance to their future.

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