Face-time in Beijing a Key priority

China will be back on John Key’s dance card in 2016 with the Prime Minister making plans for another official visit perhaps as early as March.

It is possible Key’s visit to Beijing will be timed to shoulder the prestigious Boao Forum on Hainan Island.

This forum attracts political leaders from around the world. It is a major showcase for Beijing and its anointed “thought-leaders” and covers significant contemporary issues through a Chinese lens. It is also where President Xi Jinping welcomes political leaders at the more informal setting of the presidential “holiday house” on the sub-tropical island.

And business superstars such as Bill Gates roll up to make full use of the platform the gathering offers.

The Boao Forum doesn’t yet quite rival the World Economic Forum which takes place annually in Davos, Switzerland, in late January.

But it is important for Key to wave the flag with China again.

First, competition in some of the agricultural exporting areas in which New Zealand has habitually been strong will intensify in the New Year.

Australian agricultural exporters plan to “go hard” on the dairy front as the bilateral free trade deal between China and Australia goes into effect on January 1.

Beijing’s Ministry of Commerce says the “Chafta” (the acronym for the deal) will boost bilateral trade and investment, promote investment transparency and create a fair trade and investment environment.

But the implementation of the Chafta also signals the end to New Zealand’s first-mover advantage with China.

In some agricultural export areas,