Thai PM Pushes Economic Ties in New Zealand Visit
Thai PM Anutin travels to New Zealand from August 20-22 to strengthen economic and trade partnerships, meeting with major companies and counterpart officials as both nations mark 70 years of diplomatic relations.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will travel to New Zealand from August 20-22 following his official visit to Australia, seeking to deepen economic, trade, and investment partnerships. This marks his second consecutive international mission. The delegation will depart Fairbairn military airbase in Canberra on Thursday, August 20 at 09:30 local time, arriving in Auckland at 14:45 local time (five hours ahead of Thailand), before settling into accommodation for preliminary meetings.
On his first day, the Prime Minister will focus on business engagement, meeting with executives from Skyline Enterprises and T&G Global, a major New Zealand private company involved in investment, tourism, agriculture, and distribution opportunities. Investment data shows that between 2564-June 2569, New Zealand submitted nine investment promotion applications worth 1.085 billion baht, with tourism accounting for 1.8 billion baht or 80 percent of total investment. Skyline Enterprises alone plans a 871 million baht amusement park project in 2569. Thailand and New Zealand cooperate under three free trade agreements: TNZCEP, AANZFTA, and RCEP, with Thailand serving as New Zealand's second-largest apple export market after China and a potential distribution hub for ASEAN.
On Friday, August 21, the Prime Minister will attend a formal reception before full bilateral talks with the New Zealand Prime Minister to expand cooperation in economics, investment, business connectivity, and people-to-people exchange. The visit coincides with the 70th anniversary of Thai-New Zealand diplomatic relations and efforts to upgrade ties to a strategic partnership, as Thailand pursues economic diplomacy to open new Pacific markets and boost Thai business opportunities in the region.
