Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister to Visit NZ
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister to Visit New Zealand
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, will come to New Zealand as a guest of the New Zealand government from 23 to 27 November, Acting Prime Minister Michael Cullen announced today.
“I am delighted that Mr Lee is able to visit. As an honorary advisor to the Asia 2000 Foundation, he has agreed to give the keynote address to open the ‘Seriously Asia’ Forum. To have someone of his stature share his insights into developments in Asia and New Zealand’s role in the region is a real bonus.
“Singapore, like New Zealand, recently released a new growth strategy for economic development following a major review of its economy. Mr Lee took a leadership role in this exercise and his visit offers scope to explore possibilities for collaboration between New Zealand and Singapore in the creative industries, ICT and biotechnology.
“The Prime Minister is in Singapore this week. The
frequency of high-level contact between our two countries
signals the importance we place on our relations with
Singapore, with whom we traditionally have very strong
people-to-people, defence and economic ties,” Dr Cullen
said.