Hon Tim Groser
Minister of Trade

17 April 2013

Groser to attend APEC Trade Meeting in Indonesia

Trade Minister Tim Groser will tomorrow travel to Surabaya, Indonesia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting of Ministers Responsible for Trade.

The meeting will be hosted by Indonesia on 20-21 April and the focus will be on ‘A Resilient Asia-Pacific, Engine of Global Growth’.

“I am pleased that Indonesia has chosen to focus on regional economic integration and promoting the flow of goods, services and capital among APEC economies,” says Mr Groser. “The Asia-Pacific region is vital to New Zealand’s trade interests, with over 70% of goods exports going to APEC member economies.”

While in Surabaya, Mr Groser will meet with Ministers from other participants in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.

“TPP participants are working to achieve a comprehensive, high-standard agreement consistent with the 2011 Honolulu statements and are looking to conclude negotiations on this basis in 2013. The meeting in Surabaya will be an important checkpoint to review progress and discuss with my counterparts how we can reach a successful conclusion. I expect Ministers will also want to discuss Japan’s recently announced interest in joining the negotiation.”

APEC Trade Ministers will also discuss the currently stalled WTO Doha Round of international trade negotiations.

“This is an important moment in the juncture of the WTO. The challenge facing the WTO today is one of relevance. While a number of significant regional trade initiatives are proceeding well, at the multilateral level WTO Members have found it difficult to successfully conclude the Doha Development Round. This APEC meeting provides an opportunity to explore ways to ensure that the Ninth WTO Ministerial meeting in Bali in November will represent a step forward for the multilateral trading system.

“At the same time WTO members are in the process of selecting a new Director-General. It is crucial to the success of the WTO’s mission that its members choose a candidate who has the right mix of skills and experience - both political and technical - and one who enjoys the confidence of the wider membership, including APEC members,” Mr Groser says.

ENDS

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