Priorities for bringing new energy to New Zealand-ASEAN and New Zealand-Vietnam relations: PM Christopher Luxon
WVR - On the occasion of the official visit to Vietnam and participation in the ASEAN Future Forum 2025, New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon sent an exclusive message to The World and Vietnam Report sharing his expections about the visit, emphasizing potentials for cooperation with Vietnam and ASEAN.
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| New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh performed the Hongi (nose-touching) in the welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese Prime Minister during his visit to New Zealand in March 2024. (Photo: Nhat Bac) |
Shared priorities of New Zealand-ASEAN
It's my great pleasure to be visiting Vietnam this week to proudly mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and New Zealand. I will reconnect with Party General Secretary To Lam, President Luong Cuong, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, and look forward to constructive talks with them all.
I am pleased that an exciting group of New Zealand businesses has accompanied me on this trip. They are here to grow existing links and explore new areas of business including premium food and beverage, health, agri-tech, renewable energy, innovation and technology. We see significant opportunities for Vietnam and New Zealand to build partnerships in increasingly high value sectors.
I am particularly looking forward to participating in the ASEAN Future Forum as a keynote speaker alongside Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and our colleagues Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim from Malaysia, and President Jose Ramos-Horta from Timor Leste.
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| The official logo launch ceremony for the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand relations at the ASEAN Secretariat, January 2025. (Source: asean.org) |
The theme of this year’s event, “Building a United, Inclusive, and Resilient ASEAN amidst Global Transformations” speaks eloquently to priorities that New Zealand and ASEAN share. In these shifting and uncertain times, our efforts to build and maintain a secure and resilient Indo-Pacific region and habits of regional consultation are more urgent than ever.
Strong and meaningful relations
This year marks 50 years of ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations. Over the past five decades, we have built strong and meaningful relations. Bringing new energy to our relationships in this region is a priority for my Government.
In economic terms, ASEAN represents one of the most exciting and dynamic regions in the world. I admire the growth that you’ve achieved since setting down the path of economic integration. Your countries are growing at twice or even three times the rate of the developed world and that growth is set to continue, with ASEAN expected to be the world’s 4th largest economy by 2040.
New Zealand’s close economic ties with ASEAN are supported by a network of international commitments, in particular our Free Trade Agreement between ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand, known as AANZFTA. ASEAN is now New Zealand’s fourth-largest trading partner, and we want to build on this.
In my extensive travels around Southeast Asia, I’ve been encouraging investors to come to New Zealand. My Government is taking active, tangible steps to make New Zealand an even more investment friendly destination. I also want New Zealand businesses to engage more with Southeast Asia.
On security affairs, ASEAN plays a pivotal role in maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific. Security and economic growth go hand in hand. New Zealand will play its part in supporting the building of a stable regional environment, as a trusted partner of ASEAN and its member states in counterterrorism, maritime security and, increasingly, space.
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| Delegates attending the 12th ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Cooperation Committee meeting in May 2024. (Source: asean.org) |
Education links are another pillar of our relationships with ASEAN supported by New Zealand’s development programme. Since the 1950s, thousands of scholarship recipients from Southeast Asia have come to New Zealand to study. These exchanges have benefited Southeast Asian students, and culturally enriched New Zealand communities. My Government wants to make sure New Zealand remains an attractive study and travel destination for students seeking international high-quality education at a reasonable price.
Elevating relationship to Comprehensive strategic partnership
This year New Zealand and ASEAN are working to elevate our long-standing relationship to a Comprehensive strategic partnership. We know this needs to be in more than form, it must also be in substance. I look forward to continuing my conversations with ASEAN leaders on our evolving relationship.
ASEAN and New Zealand and Vietnam and New Zealand are celebrating 50 years of relations. We have achieved a lot as partners but there is much more that we can do. We share the same goals for our region: stability, prosperity and security. New Zealand is committed to reaffirming these shared priorities and building on our ASEAN connections.
We wish Vietnam and our other ASEAN partners a prosperous New Year of the Snake. New Zealand looks forward to strengthening our relationships with ASEAN, and with Vietnam, over the next years and decades.
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