- Rt Hon Christopher Luxon
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026.
"New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build on our long-standing and warm relationship. Elevating our relationship to a Strategic Partnership to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2026 reflects our shared ambition for a secure and prosperous future for our people," Mr Luxon says.
During their meeting in Bangkok, the Prime Ministers discussed opportunities to strengthen the relationship across defence and security, education, and people-to-people links, and released the attached Joint Statement.
Another key focus of the meeting was economic cooperation, including setting a shared goal to triple two-way trade by 2045.
"Thailand is a consistent top ten two-way trade partner for New Zealand, so we are building on a strong foundation. But there is more we could do to realise the real opportunities we see for New Zealand companies in the Thai market."
Prime Minister Luxon and Prime Minister Srettha also discussed deepening defence cooperation, the challenge of transnational organised crime, the crisis in Myanmar, and other regional and global challenges.
