Jakarta (VNA) - ASEAN member states have ex🅷pressed their support for New Zealand’s proposal to elevate bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP).

The commitment was made during the 13th Meeting of the ASEAN–New Zealand Joint Cooperation Committee (ANZJCC), held on May 9 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The meeting marked the first Joint Cooperation Committee session chaired by Vietnam in its capacity as country coordinator for ASEAN–New Zealand relations for the 2024–2027 period. Taking place as ASEAN and New Zealand are preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations (1975–2025), the meeting focused on the proposed upgrade of ties to a CSP at the upcoming Commemorative Summit later this year. Delegates also discussed the development of a new Plan of Action for 2026–2030. In her remarks, Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, underlined New Zealand’s long-standing role as one of ASEAN’s earliest dialogue partners. She noted its significant and effective contributions to regional cooperation and development through a broad range of frameworks, programmes and initiatives over the past five decades. Both sides reaffirmed the importance of their partnership and explored ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, and emerging areas such as the digital economy and sustainable development. ASEAN countries highlighted the development of ASEAN–New Zealand relations since 1975 to a comprehensive partnership covering security, trade, education, and people-to-people exchange, while increasingly expanding into new areas including digitalisation, sustainable growth, and climate-smart technologies. The two sides reiterated their shared interest in maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, and reviewed achievements under the four pillars of cooperation, namely peace, prosperity, people, and planet (4Ps). In 2024, total trade in goods and services between ASEAN and New Zealand reached 27 billion NZD (approximately USD 15.9 billion), with New Zealand’s total investment in ASEAN amounting to 6.45 billion NZD. Although 100% of the 2021–2025 Plan of Action has been implemented, both sides recognised significant untapped potential and complementary strengths. Delegates stressed the need to prioritise economic cooperation, facilitate trade and investment, diversify economic linkages, strengthen supply chains, and maximise the upgraded ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) and other multilateral trade frameworks. This is particularly vital amid shifting global trade policies, rising protectionism, and dynamic changes in the geopolitical and geo-economic landscape. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination and collaboration, with a shared goal of proposing higher-level directions for future cooperation. They agreed to align strategic cooperation documents, such as the Joint Vision Statement and the 2026–2030 Plan of Action, with ASEAN’s long-term priorities and development strategies./.