Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao submitted a letter on Thursday to New Zealand's minister for trade and export growth, Damien O'Connor, that carries China's formal application for accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, which is a free-trade pact.

New Zealand is the official depository for the CPTPP parties.

The two ministers also held a telephone meeting, to talk about follow-up work connected to China's formal application.