New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced on Monday that he will visit China later this month, where he is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping.

China is the country's largest trading partner, but bilateral relations have been strained by the growing rift between Western countries and Beijing.

The visit will be the first by a New Zealand prime minister in 4 years. Hipkins will lead a "major trade delegation" to Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai at the end of June.

It comes at a time of heightened tensions between China and New Zealand's allies, such as the US and Australia.

"We've prided ourselves in our relationship with China of being stable and consistent in our position, and we'll continue to be so," Hipkins told a press conference. "Where we have concerns around trade or any other foreign policy issue we will raise those."

Hipkins is also scheduled to attend the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July. The security bloc recently accused China of "coercive policies," saying they were a threat to the international order.

Last Friday, the US and five of its allies, including New Zealand and Australia, released a similar statement condemning "economic coercion" without naming a specific culprit.

Since taking office in January, Hipkins has been leaning closer to the US than his predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, who favored a more balanced approach.

Speaking on Monday, he said New Zealand has a "robust, ongoing dialogue" with China, but opposes economic coercion and believes in a rule-based system.

Unlike Australia, New Zealand has not been hit by Chinese trade restrictions in recent years.