WELLINGTON, June 23 (Xinhua) -- More and more New Zealanders feel it is important to strengthen ties with Asia, according to a latest annual survey launched by the Asia New Zealand Foundation issued on Monday in Wellington.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation's annual report into how Kiwis perceive Asia finds that 79 percent of respondents think it's important to develop political, economic and social ties with Asia. The figure was 67 percent last year.
The latest report in the annual "New Zealanders' Perceptions of Asia and Asian Peoples" tracking survey shows New Zealanders are connected to Asia in a growing number of ways, through personal links, travel experiences and interests.
The report shows recognition of Asia's importance to New Zealand grew after COVID-19 hitting the country. Last year, two-thirds (67 percent) of New Zealanders thought the ties with Asia was crucial. While by March 2020, when the Foundation carried out a second poll, that figure grown to 79 percent. Only behind Australia, Kiwis view Asia as the second-most important region to New Zealand.
The executive director of the Asia New Zealand Foundation Simon Draper said it is more critical than ever for New Zealanders to grow their knowledge and understanding of Asia. "New Zealand's recovery is tied to Asia's recovery in many respects: economic, social, geographic and through our people.
"Border and travel restrictions mean we will need to work harder to stay connected, which our strong people-to-people links will help with," He said.
The survey also shows that the more personal experience and connections New Zealanders have of Asia, the more knowledge they tend to have, and the more likely they are to see Asia as important.
Asked what word first came to mind when the respondents saw or heard the word "Asia", the most frequently mentioned key words are food, population, culture, Japan and China, as well as concerns over Asia's response to the climate crisis.
As to Asian regional developments, figure shows that 25 percent of the respondents have basic knowledge of China's Belt and Road Initiative, 43 percent have heard of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement.
Established in 1994, the Asia New Zealand Foundation is New Zealand's government-funded authority on Asia and provides information to help locals build their knowledge, skills and confidence to Asia. Enditem
