China and New Zealand will sign a groundbreaking free trade agreement (FTA) in Beijing today, marking the first such deal between the biggest developing country and a developed economy.

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who arrived in Beijing yesterday afternoon, said the FTA will give her country's exporters increased access to the world's fastest-growing major economy.

"China is already our third-largest trading partner and a fast-growing export market for us," Clark said in a statement.