Wellington, Feb 17 (IANS): Ministers from China and New Zealand met here on Friday to discuss climate change, and experience and expertise in the field, a media report said.

After the bilateral talks, New Zealand Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett said : "China is a key player in the global response to climate change and the implementation of China's commitments under the Paris Agreement will be critical for its success."

Bennett met with China's top official for climate change, Zhang Yong, Vice Chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, for the first ministerial dialogue under the New Zealand-China Climate Change Cooperation Arrangement Memorandum.

The memorandum was signed by the two nations in 2014, Xinhua news agency reported.

Zhang's extended visit to New Zealand so soon after the Paris Agreement entering into force underscores New Zealand's standing within the international climate change community and the prospects for greater bilateral cooperation, Bennett's statement said.

The dialogue built on positive discussions in November 2016, with senior Chinese representatives at the COP 22 climate change negotiations in Marrakech, said Bennett.