Updated 2:17pm: Local government leaders are hoping to see a ripple effect from new links with their counterparts in China.

The inaugural New Zealand-China Mayoral Forum has reached a pact to establish better connections between towns here, and more than 600 Chinese cities and provinces.

Local Government New Zealand's Lawrence Yule says it's a platform for regions and small towns to strengthen trade, economic, investment and cultural links.

"The bigger centres have got relationships anyway generally, but a lot of smaller ones may not. We want to be that facilitator."

Mr Yule says there's a massive potential for investment from China.

He hopes it'll help spread economic growth out to the regions.

NZ military joins exercise Co-operation Spirit   

It's not just politicians and business leaders who've been working with China this week, our military has been too.

It has joined Australian counterparts in an exercise in China, looking at how we can work together in responding to disasters in the Asia-Pacific region.

Exercise Co-operation Spirit was hosted by the People’s Liberation Army Navy at their naval command college in Nanjing.