- Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities.
Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in the region.
"In person engagements are an important part of maintaining and strengthening relationships with our partner countries, and I am committed to doing more," Mr Luxon says.
In Singapore, the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Lee agreed to elevate our partnership with practical cooperation in priority areas of food security and supply chains, defence, investment and the transition to a green economy.
In Thailand, the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Srettha agreed to upgrade New Zealand's bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026 and agreed to a shared trade goal of tripling our two-way trade by 2045.
In the Philippines, the Prime Minister met with President Marcos and agreed to elevate the New Zealand-Philippines relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. They also set a shared goal to grow trade by 50 percent by 2030.
In line with trip's theme of innovation and the green economy, Mr Luxon announced a NZ$41 million contribution to the Asian Development Bank's Energy Transition Mechanism to support clean energy transition in the Philippines, Viet Nam and Indonesia.
The visit positioned New Zealand as a global leader in the areas of innovation, clean tech and green transformation.
"Our world-class technology industry is developing solutions to address the challenges being faced by our planet today, as we work together to drive forward the green economy.
"Travelling together enabled the delegation to showcase New Zealand's best. The commercial announcements and deals between New Zealand companies on the trip and counterparts in Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines represent the growth of long-term, strategic partnerships.
"These relationships bind our countries closer together, and deliver increased prosperity for all those involved."
