Christopher Luxon will travel to Malaysia and South Korea next week. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Prime Minister will travel to Malaysia and South Korea next week to attend economic summits and strenghten the countries ties across the Indo-Pacific.
Christopher Luxon will attend the East Asia Summit in Malaysia, and the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders meeting in the Republic of Korea.
In Malaysia he will co-host a meeting with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and celebrate 50 years of relations between New Zealand and ASEAN.
Luxon said he hoped to deepen relationships with regional leaders and unlock new opportunities for the country.
He said the Indo-Pacific is the "world's most economically dynamic region", and included nine of New Zealand's top ten trading partners.
"New Zealand's security and prosperity go hand-in-hand, a situation which plays out profoundly in the Indo-Pacific," he said, and that was why "building strong, effective partnerships across the region is a top priority for this government".
Together the forums represent around 60 percent of the global economy and over 70 percent of New Zealand's international trade.
Minister of State for Trade and Investment Nicola Grigg will also travel to Malaysia, while Minister for Customs Casey Costello and Minister for Trade and Investment Todd McClay will travel to South Korea.
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