New Zealand  trade officials said Friday that they expect to learn more about the Chinese market through the forthcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) and will further customize products exporting to China.

This is the second year that New Zealand will attend the expo, and enterprises will bring goods including food and healthcare products.

"It's an important opportunity for a lot of our companies to come to event," said Fiona Acheson, deputy consul general (commercial) at New Zealand Consulate General in Shanghai.

Acheson said New Zealand has seen great outcomes for companies' communication with Chinese companies after last year's CIIE.

"We have similar expectation this year that New Zealand's companies will see what is happening in the Chinese market and know more about local customers," she said.

According to Damon Paling, trade commissioner of New Zealand Consulate-General in Shanghai, products created by new research and innovation will be launched at the expo.

"Companies will continue to know Chinese consumption and demographic features and engage a new way to meet Chinese customers' demand," said Paling.

Acheson noted China is the largest trading partner for New Zealand, the largest source of foreign students, and the second-largest source of tourists.

New Zealand's exports to China valued NZ$15.6 billion from July 2018 to June 2019, surging over 23 percent compared with the previous corresponding period.

Since the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement was signed in 2008, two-way trade in goods and services has quadrupled, and New Zealand exports to China have grown six-fold.

Regarding future trade cooperation with China, Paling said New Zealand's exporters used to focus only on tier-one-and-two cities in China, and now companies extend their reaches to tier-three-through-five cities.

"We will help those enterprises to engage with Chinese entrepreneurs."

Paling added that the consumers' insights will be sent back to the research and development sector in New Zealand, for further customizing products to be exported to China.

"It's a long-term relationship with China in fields like retail and e-commerce, and we are optimistic towards the future between the two countries," he said.