President Prabowo Meets with New Zealand PM to Discuss Enhanced Economic, Trade Cooperation
President Prabowo Subianto holds a bilateral meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in the Agenas Room, Lahan Select Hotel, Gyeongju, Friday (10/31).
On the sidelines of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, President Prabowo Subianto Friday (10/31) held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon at the Agenas Room, Lahan Select Hotel, Gyeongju, South Korea.
The two leaders discussed efforts to further strengthen the comprehensive partnership that has been in place between Indonesia and New Zealand since 2018.
President Prabowo reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to deepening cooperation under the framework of the robust and enduring partnership.
“Our bilateral trade has grown steadily over the past five years, nearly 10 percent annually. However, I believe we can achieve even more. We have collaborated well across various sectors, and I hope this cooperation will continue to strengthen,” President Prabowo stated.
On that occasion, PM Luxon reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening trade relations between the two countries, while expressing appreciation for Indonesia’s continued support for enhancing the ASEAN–New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and for its active role in various regional collaborations.
“Allow me also to express my gratitude for all your support for upgrading the ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with New Zealand. We truly appreciate this. With the elevation of the ASEAN CSP, the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the updated ASEAN–Australia–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), we now have a strong regional framework to advance the discussions we held in Peru last year on accelerating trade relations between our two countries,” PM Luxon said.
In a separate statement following the meeting, President Prabowo underscored the importance of sharing best practices and strengthening cooperation in the education and agriculture sectors, as well as enhancing Indonesia’s human resource capacity.
During the discussion, both leaders also highlighted the need to expand market access and boost trade, which is projected to reach US$1.91 billion by 2024.
“So, I would like to emphasize cooperation in agriculture and education. We hope to send more students to study medicine and dentistry. We have a growing need for doctors and dentists. I also conveyed our interest in inviting teachers from New Zealand to assist us in opening more schools and English language courses for Indonesian workers preparing to work abroad,” President Prabowo remarked.
The meeting took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere, with both leaders reaffirming their commitment to advancing concrete cooperation that delivers tangible benefits for the people of both nations and contributes to stability and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (RIF/MUR)
