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New Zealand’s exports to China have surpassed its exports to Australia for the first quarter of 2013, according to figures released by Statistics New Zealand on Friday 26 April.

The country’s exports to China for the first three months of this year have been valued at NZ$2.3bn (US$1.95bn), while those to Australia which were valued at NZ$2.1bn (US$1.78bn)

Catherine Beard, the executive director for Export New Zealand, has said that demand for quality food products has been instrumental in increasing exports to China.

She added that while the Chinese export market had been predicted to overtake Australia's, this had not been expected for another two years.