Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will travel to the Philippines next week for a series of bilateral and regional meetings aimed at strengthening New Zealand’s ties with Southeast Asia.
The visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the Philippines and will include the signing of cooperation arrangements with Philippine ministers, alongside discussions on trade, security and regional issues.
While in Manila, Peters will attend the annual ASEAN–New Zealand Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, as well as Foreign Ministers’ meetings of the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, which bring together Southeast Asian nations and partners including the United States, China, Japan, India and Australia. He is also scheduled to hold a number of bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from across the region.
Peters said Southeast Asia remains a key focus of the Government’s foreign policy, describing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as an increasingly important partner for trade, regional security and economic resilience. ASEAN is New Zealand’s fourth-largest trading partner by value and a significant source of fuel imports. Peters will depart New Zealand on 20 July and return on 24 July.
