NZ and Thailand look to triple trade by 2045
The prime ministers of New Zealand and Thailand are looking to triple trade between the nations by 2045, massively boost tourism and strengthen ties by 2026.
“For us this a really important market, this is the second largest market in Southeast Asia,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said ahead of the meeting. “It’s a top 10 export market for New Zealand and our products and services.”
Luxon arrived to a guard of honour at Thailand’s Government House, walking through with Thailand’s prime minister Srettha Thavisin in 34 degree heat, before the meeting.
The returned together, promising to move the relationship to a strategic partnership by 2026 in a “shared ambition for a secure and prosperous future”, Luxon said.
On trade, the prime ministers announced their “new ambitious joint goal of tripling two-way trade by 2045”.
Luxon said tourism was “one of the big things” he wanted to discuss with Srettha.
“We need to build back to the amount of tourism we had before Covid, we had 40,000 Thais coming to New Zealand, about over 100,000 New Zealanders coming to Thailand.”
They also wanted to “deepen engagement” between defence forces.
During the press conference, Srettha spoke about the situation in Myanmar, saying it “makes it all the more necessary and urgent for all of us to urge the Myanmar parties to pursue dialogue towards peaceful solution”.
He said in preparing for all possible contingencies, “Thailand stands ready to provide for the military needs of the local mainland communities affected by bandits along the border”.
Earlier in the day, Luxon defended the hosting of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in New Zealand, in particular the allowing of Myanmar officials into the country for talks.
Advocates have asked the Government to block members of Myanmar’s military junta from entering the country for the meeting, to be held today and tomorrow.
Myanmar shares a border with Thailand and many have sought refuge there.
Luxon said while the Government condemned the Myanmar coup and the leadership, and said travel bans had been put in place for Myanmar leadership, it was the policy of Asean that the country could contribute to engagement and dialogue.
The contingent travelling from Myanmar were not “political leadership” but “mid level officials”.
The pair exchanged gifts, Luxon gifting a Kōruru, which is the face of the house on a traditional whare, binding the two rafters to the ridgepole, strengthening the house.
Asked about the business delegation being brought along to the bilateral, Luxon said it was good for prime ministers to “hear directly from the respective business communities in the other countries”.
Asked about Srettha’s invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Thailand, Luxon said it was a decision for Thailand, with its “own independent foreign policy in the same way that we do in New Zealand”.
“We collaborate with a range of partners and countries around the world in terms of areas like trade and climate change and a whole bunch of other agendas. We also where we have differences in values, we raise those privately, publicly, consistently, predictably.”
Luxon said he wanted to spend more time on regional geopolitical politics.