Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon at the welcome ceremony. (Photo: Thai PM Office) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand and New Zealand on April 17 agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to a strategic partnership by 2026, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin made the announcement after talks with his New Zealand counterpart Christopher Luxon, who is on an official visit to Thailand.
During the talks, the two leaders discussed issues covering trade, education, investment, visas, tourism, transnational crime and cybersecurity. They also agreed to enhance economic cooperation with the goal of tripling two-way trade by 2045.
The Thai side also vowed to increase collaboration with New Zealand in the fields of sci-tech and innovation, including smart agriculture, food technology, renewable energy, precision medicine, and digital technology.
The Thai PM welcomed New Zealand’s intention to become a development partner of the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), aligning with New Zealand's strategic partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its aspiration to become a comprehensive strategic partner of ASEAN by 2025./.
