(Bloomberg) — Thailand and New Zealand have agreed to resume direct flights after the pandemic shuttered air links, as the two countries’ leaders pledged to triple bilateral trade over the next two decades.
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The two countries will also prioritize visa facilitation to achieve targets of 100,000 New Zealanders visiting Thailand and 40,000 Thai tourists traveling to New Zealand next year, the Thai Prime Minister says. Srettha Thavisin said this on Wednesday at a joint press conference with his colleague Christoper Luxon in Bangkok.
The two prime ministers agreed to expand economic cooperation and increase mutual trade and investment in areas of mutual expertise and interest, a joint statement said. The leaders look forward to tariff-free access for all Thai and New Zealand imports from January 1, noting that bilateral trade has more than tripled in the two decades since the countries signed an economic partnership pact.
Srettha and Luxon agreed to elevate diplomatic ties between the two nations to a strategic partnership “by 2026 or earlier,” the Thai leader said. The two leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation to tackle organized crime, including human and drug trafficking.
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