Joint Ministerial Consultations between Thailand and New Zealand and other related discussions on the occasion of the official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs during[...]

On 13 December 2024, H.E. Mr. Maris Sangiampongsa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, co-chaired the Joint Ministerial Consultations meeting with the Right Honourable Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, at the HSCB building in Auckland, during his official visit to New Zealand from 12-15 December 2024.

The two sides identified collaborative aspects toward a Strategic Partnership by 2026, and jointly endorsed the Thailand-New Zealand Roadmap to Strategic Partnership 2024-2026), which was developed in accordance with the joint statement between the Prime Ministers of the two countries in April 2024. Both sides also agreed to meet again to follow up on their discussion during the visit of the Right Honourable Winston Peters to Thailand in November 2025.

Additionally, both sides were keen on enhancing cooperation in combatting transnational crime, particularly drug trafficking, water resources management, the three pillars of security: food security, energy, and human. They also aimed to promote the engagement of the private sector, particularly young entrepreneurs and digital nomads, as they play an important role in promoting relations between the two countries. They also aimed to strengthen people-to-people connections through education, tourism and the possibility of visa exemptions for Thai passport holders. Both sides were committed to task their relevant officials to work closely to deliver the concrete outcomes from the positive momentum of the Thailand-New Zealand relations. Furthermore, both sides exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar, the South China Sea and the geopolitical competition .

The Foreign Minister also invited New Zealand to consider investing in Ranong Port, considering Thailand's strategic location that can enhance New Zealand's connectivity with East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

In the afternoon, the Foreign Minister held a bilateral discussion with the Honourable Simon Watts, Minister for Climate Change of New Zealand. Both sides agreed to promote comprehensive and concrete relations in line with the Roadmap, especially cooperation on climate change, which is intersected between sustainability, economic growth and social aspect, in areas of mutual interest and expertises, including agriculture and clean energy

On 14 December 2024, the Foreign Minister met with the Honourable Todd McClay, Minister for Trade. They agreed to utilise the 13th Thailand-New Zealand Senior Officials' Talks (SOTs) to develop a concrete Plan of Action, in line with the Roadmap, particularly in the area of trade and investment. They also agreed to promote regular high-level discussions to maintain the dynamics of Thailand-New Zealand relations and to monitor the development of operations under the Roadmap toward the Strategic Partnership. The Foreign Minister is looking forward to warmly welcome Minister McClay to Thailand in the first quarter of 2025.

Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to triple the value of bilateral trade by 2045, remove trade barriers between the two sides, and leverage existing trade agreements to achieve this goal, especially the Thailand-New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership (TNZCEP), in which both sides look forward to zero tariffs on all imports on 1 January 2025, as well as to promote sustainable joint ventures and two-way investment in areas where both sides have expertises, especially agricultural and aquaculture.