Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will depart for Peru this week to attend the annual APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting on 15-16 November.
The PM said the APEC Summit is a key moment in the regional calendar.
“It’s an opportunity to meet with counterparts who are also grappling with cost-of-living challenges and choices about driving more productive economies,” said Mr Luxon.
“It provides an opportunity to discuss regional economic policy, as well as some of the global challenges we are all navigating.
“For a country like New Zealand, where one in four Kiwi jobs depend on trade, and more than three quarters of our exports are destined for APEC economies, removing economic barriers in the Asia-Pacific is critical to our national interests.”
The APEC region is home to around 40% of the world’s population and represents more than 60% of world GDP. New Zealand exported $74.2 billion in goods and services to APEC economies in the year to June 2024.
“APEC is also an opportunity to meet bilaterally with other Leaders. While in Peru, I’ll meet with the leaders of some of the world’s largest economies to advance our interests with them,” said the Prime Minister.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister for Trade Todd McClay will also travel to Peru for the APEC Ministerial Meeting from November 13-14. Mr Luxon will return on November 18.
